By Jean Junior Celestin, Le Nouvelliste, Nov. 13, 2024
Following the decision of the Transitional Presidential Council (TPC) to dismiss Prime Minister Garry Conille, the Collective of Political Parties of January 30 clarified its position regarding its representative on the TPC. In a letter addressed to TPC President Leslie Voltaire, the Collective expressed their intent to replace their representative from the Council.
On the Magik 9 program Wednesday, November 13, 2024 the January 30 Collective spokesperson Liné Balthazar indicated that they ready to begin ousting their TPC representative and ex TPC interim President Edgard Leblanc Fils.
"We have sent a letter to Mr. Leslie Voltaire to remind him that the Collective no longer has a representative on the CPT. We will begin discussions on the mechanism by which we must continue to have a representative on the TPC," Balthazar explained, maintaining that the Collective does not intend to support a representative to the Council who carries out arbitrary acts.
Balthazar believes that "based on what we know and observe, out of the seven voting presidential advisors, there are at least four of them who are not in harmony with the sectors they represent". He admitted that the January 30 Collective has problems with advisor Edgard Leblanc Fils and announced that they have begun steps to replace him at the TPC.
"We are happy to have a representative whenever the TPC has political legitimacy and credibility in the eyes of the population with regard to its actions, on the way of fulfilling its mission in accordance with the rules accepted and shared by all the political, social and religious forces of the country," he explained.
"The April 3 Agreement was achieved with the facilitation of CARICOM. It is a Haitian agreement. It is a Haitian file internationalized by the Haitians," he recalled.
According to Liné Balthazar, the April 3 Accord aims to stabilize the country through concerted actions and restore public confidence. "This agreement is considered by the Collective as a roadmap to ensure an orderly and peaceful transition, which, according to them, could only be achieved by a TPC acting with complete transparency and legitimacy," he reported, specifying that the Collective remains attached to the formula of the two-headed executive.
"We, the Collective of Political Parties of January 30, a stakeholder in the process that gave birth to the TPC, wish to discuss with the Council because we remain in favor of the formula of a balanced bicameral executive to avoid power being concentrated in one branch," Mr. Balthazar qualified.
Following the signing of the resolution modifying the rotating presidency of the TPC and which maintains in office three advisers accused of passive corruption by the Anti-Corruption Unit, the Collective of Political Parties of January 30, in a press note published on Monday, October 7, 2024, clearly asked its representative, Edgard Leblanc Fils, to withdraw from the TPC
"The Collective remains firmly committed to its initial proposal to "sideline" the "president-advisors" implicated in the corruption scandal while awaiting a court decision. It has therefore taken the decision to recall its representative to the TPC, and, in fact, is recalling Senator Edgard Leblanc Fils of the TPC" the Collective wrote.
At the same time, the Collective announced that it would begin consultations with the nation's vital forces and the signatories of the April 3 Accord, 2024, with the aim of defining a stable and responsible governance formula, guaranteeing a successful transition.
Translated by CHIP editors
Posted Nov. 26, 2024