PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti — Haiti’s presidential transitional council on Saturday formally handed executive power to Prime Minister Alix Didier Fils-Aime, ending nearly two years of interim rule marked by escalating gang violence and political paralysis in the impoverished Caribbean nation.
The transfer of authority from the nine-member transitional council, established in April 2024, to the 54-year-old businessman took place under tight security amid deepening instability and fears of further unrest in the capital.
“Our watchwords are clear: security, political dialogue, elections, stability,” council president Laurent Saint-Cyr said during the ceremony.
“Mr Prime Minister, in this historic moment, I know that you are gauging the depth of the responsibility you are taking on for the country.”
With the handover, Fils-Aime becomes Haiti’s sole executive authority, tasked with restoring order, steering political dialogue, and organising long-delayed national elections in a country that has not voted since 2016.
Daunting security and political challenges
Haiti has been without an elected president since July 2021, when President Jovenel Moïse was assassinated in his private residence. Since then, successive interim arrangements have failed to stabilise the country or curb the power of armed gangs.
According to the United Nations, criminal gangs now control about 90pc of Port-au-Prince, enforcing their authority through kidnappings, killings, and sexual violence. Nearly 6,000 people were killed in 2025 alone, while 1.4 million Haitians — about 10pc of the population — have been displaced by the violence.
The humanitarian toll has been severe. UN agencies estimate that almost half of Haiti’s population faces acute food insecurity, including 1.2 million children under the age of five.
US backing and international pressure
Fils-Aime assumes office with the explicit backing of the United States, which this week deployed three warships to Haitian waters amid concerns of a political vacuum following the council’s exit.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Washington viewed Fils-Aime’s continued tenure as essential to restoring order. He stressed “the importance of his leadership to combat terrorist gangs and stabilise the island.”
In recent weeks, the US has also sanctioned two members of the outgoing council and a government minister, accusing them of supporting or colluding with criminal gangs — allegations that further weakened the council’s credibility.
Security operations intensify
Haitian police, backed by international partners, have stepped up operations against gang strongholds in central Port-au-Prince, destroying a house belonging to notorious gang leader Jimmy Cherizier, widely known as “Barbecue.”
The transitional council was initially tasked with creating conditions for elections but failed to do so, largely due to persistent violence and internal divisions.
As Fils-Aime begins his tenure, regional and international actors are watching closely to see whether the new leadership can break Haiti’s cycle of interim rule, insecurity, and humanitarian crisis — or whether the country will sink further into instability.
