Haiti tense as new leader is voted in

Port-au-Prince – Lawmakers in Haiti’s lower house voted in favour of the new government early yesterday after a marathon session of more than 10 hours.

The new prime minister, Jean-Henry Ceant, had responded to questions through the night before majority lawmakers demanded an end to the debate over opposition objections.

In a heated atmosphere, 84 deputies voted in favour of the new prime minister while five voted against and four abstained.

Haiti’s senate had approved the new government’s general policies, following a more than 15hour session that concluded early on Saturday.

A notary by training who ran unsuccessfully for president in 2010 and 2016, Ceant was named to the post by Haiti’s president, Jovenel Moise on August 5.

But in a sign of discord between the legislative and presidential branches, it took a month to reach agreement on his 18-member Cabinet.

Tension remains high in Haiti after a series of riots against rising fuel prices gripped Portau-Prince in July that forced the resignation of former prime minister Jack Guy Lafontantw. –