Haiti: After marathon session, lawmakers back new govt

AFP | Lawmakers at Haiti’s lower house voted in favor of the new government in the early hours of Sunday after a marathon session lasting more than 10 hours.

New prime minister, Jean-Henry Céant, 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 favor of the new prime minister while 5 voted against, and 4 abstained.

Haiti’s Senate had approved the new government’s general policies following a more than 15-hour session that concluded early on Saturday, with it then being put to a vote of confidence at the Chamber of Deputies.

A notary by training who ran unsuccessfully for president in 2010 and 2016, Céant was named to the post by President Jovenel Moïse 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 Port-au-Prince in July that forced the resignation of prime minister Jack Guy Lafontant.

Mass protests erupted on July 6 after a government – on the advice of the International Monetary Fund – unveiled major fuel price hikes, 38 percent for gasoline, 47 percent for diesel and 51 percent for kerosene.