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News > Haiti

Haiti: 'Resigning Would Be Irresponsible', President Moise Says

  • President Jovenel Moise at the National Palace of Port-au-Prince, Haiti Oct. 15, 2019.

    President Jovenel Moise at the National Palace of Port-au-Prince, Haiti Oct. 15, 2019. | Photo: Reuters

Published 16 October 2019
Opinion

According to Jovenel Moise, his country's current situation is a consequence of previous decisions taken within "the system."

Haiti's President Jovenel Moise Tuesday said that his resignation would be an "irresponsible" act in the midst of the ongoing political turmoil and social unrest.

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"It would be irresponsible of me if I got up today, took out a letter of resignation, signed it and left the country," Moise said in his first live statement since September 25, when the current wave of protests started.

“The people who put me in power did it according to the Haitian constitution. The Constitution says when I must end my term as president,” added.

Although he admitted his share of responsibility in the country's political crisis, he blamed the "system" for the difficulties Haiti has in achieving higher levels of stability and development.

"The system has its guardians, heirs and victims... The system is a multi-headed snake that regenerates itself in transitions," Moses said thus referring to the transition periods which followed the fall of Jean-Claude Duvalier in 1986 and Jean-Bertrand Aristide in 2004.

Haiti, the poorest country in the American continent, has been rocked by violent protests in the last month which have led schools, public offices and businesses to close.

In this densely populated nation with 11 million people, the protesters are calling for the resignation of Moise amid anger over fuel and food shortages, currency devaluation and corruption allegations.

Within this new wave of massive demostrations, which is the longest one since last year, at least 17 people have been killed and 189 injured so far.

However, the Haitian president argues that its main objective remains to solve the prevailing violence.

"I was working so that peace returns and so that schools can be operational. I was working to avoid the unknown, so that in place of this unknown there is a change, for an end to the system and to establish another system, for a country to be at peace, with awareness and development. "

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