RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL – Haiti’s interim prime minister, Claude Joseph, said Monday in an interview with the American newspaper “The Washington Post” that he has agreed to step down.
Joseph had been in charge of the country since the assassination of President Jovenel Moïse on the 7th. With the resignation, he will pass the office to Ariel Henry, ending a power struggle in Haiti.
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Henry had been appointed as prime minister by Moïse two days before the president’s assassination. However, there was no time for him to be sworn into office. With the crime, he and Joseph were disputing who would stay in power.
In the “Washington Post” interview, Joseph said that he met with his political opponent over the weekend to try to resolve the impasse and decided to resign “for the good of the nation.” He did not make it clear, however, when he actually leaves power.
Mathias Pierre, Haiti’s Minister of Electoral Affairs, confirmed to the Associated Press Agency that Joseph intends to step down. He said negotiations are ongoing, but Henry will be the new head of government.
The Haitian authorities are still investigating who was responsible for Moïse’s murder. Several people were arrested after the crime, among them many foreigners.
Last week, the Colombian television station Caracol published a report stating that Joseph was being investigated as one of the people behind the crime. Haitian authorities deny the information and say that there is no evidence that the interim prime minister was involved in Moïse’s death.