Haitian President Jovenel Moise was assassinated last night. Interim Prime Minister Claude Joseph said in a press statement that a group of unknown persons had broken into Moïse’s home in the capital, Port-au-Prince, and shot and killed the president.
Haiti President Jovenel Moïse (pic: Twitter)
Moïse’s wife was hospitalized after the attack. Interim Prime Minister Joseph described the murder as a “hateful, inhumane and barbaric act”, writes CNN.
In February, thousands took to the streets to demonstrate against Moïse’s government. They blamed him for failing to tackle corruption. They were also angry that prosperity is only increasing slowly. They demanded the president to step out of office.
Quarrel with opposition
Shortly before those protests, Moïse had arrested more than 20
opponents who he believed had been planning a coup. Among them was
a senior police officer and a chief justice who should have been
the new head of state.
Moïse had been arguing with the opposition for some time about
when his presidential term would expire. He claimed that he did not
have to leave office until next year because he had been appointed
as an interim president for a year after the departure of his
predecessor Michel Joseph Martelly. Opponents argued that his
five-year tenure started the moment Martelly left, meaning his term
would have ended earlier this year on February 7.
Moïse, 53, has been in power in Haiti since 2017.
