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Haiti's interim prime minister Claude Joseph has announced that he will step down from his position following the assassination of the nation's former leader, Jovenel Moïse. In his absence, Ariel Henry, who was originally tapped to take the position before Moïse's death, is expected to take his place.
On July 7, Moïse and his wife, Martine, were the targets of an armed attack at their private residence. Moïse was killed during the attack and Martine was transported to a medical facility in Florida for further treatment. In their absence, Joseph stepped in as acting prime minister with the support of local police forces and military personnel. Meanwhile, Henry had the support of the Core Group, which consists of diplomats from France, America, Spain, Brazil and several other world powers.
As acting prime minister, Joseph said that he met with Henry several times and was working with him to move the country forward. He also stated that he only assumed the position as a temporary position and will transfer power over to Henry “for the good of the nation.”
“Everyone who knows me knows that I am not interested in this battle, or in any kind of power grab,” Joseph said.
“The president was a friend to me. I am just interested in seeing justice for him."
Moving forward, Henry will lead the nation's investigation into Moïse's murder.
“I give the reinsurance that light will be shed and those who carried out [the assassination] and its intellectual authors will be brought to justice,” Henry said.
“I compliment the Haitian people on their political maturity in the face of what we can call a 'coup d’etat.'"
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