Haiti's transitional council names new PM

PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti — Haiti's transitional council chose a former sports minister as the Caribbean country's prime minister on Tuesday as part of its monumental task of trying to establish a stable new government amid stifling violence.

Fritz Belizaire was chosen in a surprise move to replace current interim Prime Minister Michel Patrick Boisvert, gaining the support of four of the seven voting members on the nine-member panel.

The council also planned to choose a cabinet as it seeks to quell gang violence that is choking the capital, Port-au-Prince, and beyond. Heavy gunfire was reported in several of the capital's neighborhoods during the council's meeting.

More than 90,000 people have fled the capital in a span of one month. Overall, more than 360,000 people have been left homeless in recent years as gunmen raze communities in rival territories.

Earlier on Tuesday, the council chose former presidential candidate Edgard Leblanc Fils as the president of the panel.

Fils said the council met on Monday with army and police officials to talk about Haiti's security crisis and how best to resolve it. "We are publicly recognizing the suffering," he said of the population.

Belizaire served as Haiti's sports minister during the second presidency of Rene Preval from 2006 to 2011.

The transitional council will act as the country's presidency until it can arrange a presidential election sometime before it disbands, which must be by February 2026.

Haitians remain divided over whether they believe a transitional government can help calm a troubled country whose capital has been under siege since gangs launched coordinated attacks on Feb 29.

Agencies - Xinhua