Haiti Legislators approve Garry Conille as PM

Haiti’s parliament on Friday unanimously approved the nomination of senior UN diplomat Garry Conille as the Caribbean nation’s new prime minister.

Haitian President Michel Martelly described the appointment as a “great victory” for Haiti, after his previous two nominees had been rejected by parliament.

“The people chose me and I made my choice (Conille),” said Martelly, who was sworn in as president in May.

Conille, in his first public response to the appointment, said: “I am ready to assume my responsibilities as head of government. I am satisfied with this decision.”

Conille’s appointment, approved by a unanimous vote of 89-0 in the Congress, must still be ratified by the Senate. But political analysts said Martelly has already been assured of Senate support following the approval by its president last week.

According to the Haitian constitution, a candidate for prime minister can be approved in a number of ways, including by securing the support of the presidents of both chambers of parliament.

The 45-year-old Conille, who currently serves as resident coordinator and UN humanitarian coordinator in the West African country of Niger, began his UN career in 1999 in Haiti and was later posted to the UN mission in Ethiopia.

Conille’s candidacy had been challenged by some people because of his UN posts. Under the Haitian Constitution, any candidate for prime minister must have at least 5 years of continuous residency in Haiti.

But Conille denied his work at the United Nations was an obstacle. “My permanent residence is in Haiti. Working abroad for the UN, of which Haiti is a member state, is as if working for Haiti,” he asserted.

U.S. Ambassador to Haiti Kenneth Merten and Secretary General of the Organization of American States (OAS) Jose Miguel Insulza last month urged the country to choose a head of government at an early date.

Merten said the absence of a prime minister was a “disadvantage” for continued international cooperation.

The ratification of Conille’s appointment could soon end four months of stalemate for Martelly.

Conille, a doctor by training and who also holds a master’s degree in politics and health administration from the U.S. University of North Carolina, was Martelly’s 3rd candidate for prime minister after parliament rejected both businessman Daniel-Gerard Rouzier and legal scholar Bernard Gousse.