Haiti is at a Dead End as Political Control and Governance Aim to Create a Functioning Structure

3 minutes read | originally published on October 28, 2024 at 4:51 p.m., modified on April 8, 2025 at 11:23 a.m.

Port-au-Prince, October 26, 2024. Haiti is in chaos, with armed gangs and corruption gaining influence. Haiti is in crisis. Since the assassination of President Jovenel Moïse in July 2021, the country has plunged into the chaos described above. Key institutions are paralyzed, and nearly 80% of the capital is under gang control. Despite widespread protests, coalitions and political intrigue in the wake of the death of Haiti’s former President Moïse, the opposition lacked a coherent strategy for the future, leading to a vacuum of disorder, while neurosurgeon Dr. Ariel Henry, appointed Prime Minister through international intervention, is unable to adequately fulfill his political agenda.

For nearly three years, from July 2021 to March 2024, Henry’s government operated by trial and error, proving himself to be one of Haiti’s most ineffective politicians. During his tenure, corruption was rampant, while his policies were aimed at appeasing the political elite. Without setting clear goals, in disarming gangs, wrested power from them in the streets, occupied ever larger territories, and while they are directly challenged the de facto government.

Haiti’s fundamental problems: poverty, corruption, insecurity, and devastating impacts shaped Henry’s legacy. In light of the increasing violence, the Organization of American States (OA) proposed a Presidential Transitional Council (PTC) to replace Henry’s government. This council is comprised of representatives from various political factions, including Edgard Leblanc Fils, Smith Augustin, Emmanuel Vertilaire, Louis Gérald Gilles, Leslie Voltaire, Fritz Jean, and Laurent St-Cyr. Unfortunately, they are now steering the country further into a seemingly endless cycle of political crisis and poverty.

Meanwhile, on October 2, 2024, the Anti-Corruption Unit (ULCC) published a report implicating three presidential advisors, Smith Augustin, Emmanuel Vertilaire, and Louis Gérald Gilles, in a corruption scandal involving the embezzlement of HTG 100 million from the National Credit Bank (BNC). They are accused of violating the anti-corruption law of March 12, 2014, and of committing abuse of office, passive corruption, and bribery. Yet none of them has resigned. This highlights a political culture in which corruption is often treated as a trivial offense. Leaving Haiti in a currently dead end and faces an uncertain future.