Haiti Now Has No Elected Officials As Political Crisis Deepens
The political decline in Haiti has contributed to and exacerbated a growing economic and public safety crisis in the country. A major earthquake hit Haiti weeks after Moise’s assassination, creating physical devastation and worsening economic crisis in the country. In the political vacuum and devastated infrastructure, various gangs have emerged to violently assert their control in various locations, particularly within the capital Port-au-Prince. The economic crisis in the country has led to public health crises, including a wave of acute malnutrition among children, as well as large outflows of refugees to other Caribbean nations and to the United States.
In the midst of these circumstances, pressures have increased for foreign powers, including the United States and United Nations, to conduct a large-scale military intervention in the country as they have in the past. Many Haitians, however, want foreign forces to stay out, noting that the country has faced a long history of foreign interventions that have exploited the country and failed to establish long-term stability or prosperity in the country. For the moment, the challenges facing the country do not appear to have a simple fix and the lack of elected leadership will not make it easier to come pu with a political solution to the country’s latest crises.