Two years ago, the country woke up from three days of riots in the metropolitan area. Our famous 5, 6, 7 July 2018.
The rioters’ goal was not to demand the departure of President Moïse. They protested for the most part against a drastic and abrupt increase in the prices of petroleum products introduced surreptitiously during the match of World Cup of soccer Brazil-Belgium.
This weekend in July 2018, it was not only Neymar’s team that went out through the back door of Russia but also then Prime Minister Jack Guy Lafontant who lost the essence of his mandate.
After the gas riots, protests, massacres, episodes of peyi lòk, unsuccessful negotiations and a whole bunch of turmoil followed. The country is still paying the price for the Moses five-year derailment which began with this release on petroleum products.
Since then, the Haitian government has been unable to adjust the prices of petroleum products or introduce new taxes. July 2018 left deep marks.
And as population growth continues and economic growth falters, Haiti and Haitians have become poorer in the past two years. The country changed prime minister, lived for days without having one, had two at the same time, without having policies adapted to its problems.
The temptation to overthrow the president-elect grew during the same period. Unlike the declining economy, presidential power grew stronger battle after battle.
On July 7, 2020, President Moïse published a decree that allows him to suddenly replace the elected mayors of all of the 141 municipalities that make up the Republic of Haiti to convert them into interim agents appointed by the executive . The president, the Electoral Council in office since 2016 and its parliamentary majority did not hold the elections and he – the president – benefits from it. The same is true for Parliament. There is no longer any fault of those who have been strengthened by his absence and who were responsible for not letting the country settle in such a vacuum.
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