07/08/2021
The President of Haiti was killed yesterday and the First Lady was evacuated to the US to treat her injuries. They have young kids, so pray for them.
Regardless of the type of leader he was, this is sad and Haiti needs our prayers as there has been continual fighting among different groups for power in Haiti. Pray for peace on the streets so people can get the supplies they need.
The cooks were not able to make it to FREM yesterday, pray for them to have strength and courage and the ability to go care for the kids.
Here is an update from Haiti:
On National Radio and TV : Haiti’s Acting Prime Minister Claude Joseph has declared a “state of siege” in Haiti. He said he did not want the nation to “plunge into chaos” following the assassination of President Jovenel Moise on Wednesday.
Joseph said the decision to declare a “state of siege” was made at an extraordinary council of ministers meeting Wednesday morning.
Under Haitian law, there are three levels of emergency, starting with a “state of emergency,” followed by a “state of siege”, and finally the highest level of emergency, which is a “state of war.”
A state of siege means that all borders are closed (for 15 days as of now) as well as martial law temporarily imposed, with Haiti’s military and the Haiti National Police (HNP) empowered to enforce the law.
What happens when a president in haiti passes:
1stJean Wilner Morin, the president of the National Association of Haitian Judges said that the line of presidential succession in the country was now murky because normally the president of the Supreme Court would be called upon to fill the void, but he recently died after contracting Covid-19. René Sylvestre's funeral was due to have been held this morning.
2nd: For the acting prime minister Claude Joseph to formally replace the president, he would have to be approved by Haiti’s parliament. But without recent elections, the parliament is effectively defunctional and "therefore constitutionally, he cannot replace the president of the republic."
3rd: There is one other precedent dating back to 2015, when the president of the National Assembly stepped up to fill the leadership vacuum. But again, currently there is no official in that role either. However, with a third of the Senate still in place, Jean Wilner Morin suggests that perhaps officials will look at whether Senate leader Joseph Lambert might be an option. It will be a waiting game to see what government officials are going to do.
