Haiti’s health minister has been named as the
country’s interim prime minister, replacing
Laurent Lamothe, who resigned following several
weeks of protests.
Florence Duperval Guillaume’s temporary
appointment on Sunday is part of an effort to
resolve a mounting political crisis over long-
delayed elections.
Lamothe’s resignation a week ago came after
international warnings from the United States
and the United Nations that the impoverished
Caribbean nation was on the brink of political
chaos again.
Guillaume’s temporary appointment was
announced in an email signed by Enex Jean-
Charles, the secretary of the Council of
Ministers.
A career health worker whose official title is
Minister of Public Health and Population, she has
overseen efforts to rebuild the country’s frail
medical services, including new hospitals and
combating a cholera epidemic and long-running
HIV-AIDS treatment.
Haiti’s capital Port-au-Prince has endured a
growing number of violent demonstrations in
recent weeks during which protesters have
demanded the holding of elections that were
expected in 2011 and the resignations of
Lamothe as well as Martelly.
Parliament will shut down if elections are not
held before January 12, leaving the country
without a functioning government until
presidential elections in late 2015.
Haiti, the poorest and most unequal country in
the western hemisphere, is still recovering from
an earthquake five years ago that levelled much
of Port-au-Prince.
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