HAITI-POLITICS-MOISE
President Jovenel Moise sits at the Presidential Palace during an interview with AFP in Port-au-Prince, October 22, 2019. - Haitians fed up with poverty and miserable living conditions call him corrupt and incompetent, and want him to resign. But in an interview with AFP President Jovenel Moise is evasive about yielding and offers only vague ideas for making things better for his countrymen. The poorest country in the Americas has been roiled for two months by violent protests that were triggered by fuel shortages.They have now morphed into a broader campaign against the president, who come to power in 2017 in an election that some called fraudulent. Photo by Valerie Baeriswyl / AFP) (Photo by VALERIE BAERISWYL/AFP via Getty Images

Haiti's President Jovenel Moïse has been assassinated after an attack on his home in the nation's capital, Port-au-Prince based on the statement of the country's interim prime minister Claude Joseph.

Based on Claude Joseph, the president's home in Port-au-Prince was stormed by unidentified armed men at around 01:00 local time (05:00 GMT). Haiti's First Lady Martine Moïse was also injured in the attack.

According to BBC, interim prime minister Claude Joseph stated that they have done all measures to guarantee the continuance of the state. Joseph confirmed that the president was fatally shot in the 'heinous, inhuman and barbaric act.' Despite the news that shocked the whole country, the Haitian prime minister called for the public to remain calm.

A Rocky Presidential Term

His predecessor, Michel Martelly, stepped down in February 2016, The 53-year-old Haitian President Jovenel Moïse had been in power since February 2017.

However, during his time in office, Moïse faced a number of corruption accusations. The Haitian President was challenged by waves of protests violently done by anti-government groups. There were widespread protests in Port-au-Prince and other cities earlier this year, as people demanded Moïse's resignation.

Also, Haiti's opposition stated that Mr. Moïse's five-year term should have ended on February 7, 2021. It was exactly five years to the day since Martelly stepped down in his presidential seat.

However, Moïse insisted that he had one more year to serve as he did not take office until after a year. The delay in his term was caused by allegations of electoral fraud, which eventually saw the result of the 2015 election being annulled and fresh polls being held, which were won by Moïse.

On February 7, during the day that his opponents said his term should have ended, the Haitian President stated that a "coup to overthrow his government and assassinate him" had been foiled.

U.S. Dubs Moïse's Assassination a 'Horrific Crime'

The United States condemned the assassination of Moïse calling it a 'horrific crime'. The White House announced on Wednesday that the US is still assessing the attack and added that U.S. President Joe Biden would be briefed of the assassination.

In a report by Reuters, Jen Psaki, press secretary of the White House told MNBC that they are still gathering information and assessing what happened in what she called a 'tragic tragedy'.

Moreover, Psaki expressed that the U.S. government supports the people of Haiti during such a difficult time. She also added that the U.S. is ready to provide any assistance that Haiti may need.

Psaki also emphasized that the U.S. Embassy will be in touch with Haiti's State Department for any development about the attack. She also added that Haitians should know that the U.S. will stand ready to provide aid.

The U.S. has been accused by Haiti's opposition of being tolerant of Moïse's policies because of his support for U.S. foreign police. The U.S. is also known to be Haiti's top foreign donor.

This article is owned by Latin Post

Written by Jess Smith

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