Attempted coup foiled in Haiti: justice minister

[brooklynite]

Source: France24

Haitian authorities said Sunday they had foiled an attempt to murder President Jovenel Moise and overthrow the government, as a dispute rages over when his term ends.

The plot was an "attempted coup d'etat," according to justice minister Rockefeller Vincent, with authorities saying at least 23 people have been arrested, including a top judge and an official from the national police.

"I thank my head of security at the palace. The goal of these people was to make an attempt on my life," Moise said. "That plan was aborted."

Moise has been governing without any checks on his power for the past year and says he remains president until February 7, 2022 -- in an interpretation of the constitution rejected by the opposition, which has led protests asserting his term ends Sunday.

Read more: https://www.france24.com/en/live-news/20210207-attempted-coup-foiled-in-haiti-justice-minister

[Turbineguy]

1. OK, how do you write these sorts of announcements?

Ask Trump.

[left-of-center2012]

2. Haiti and coups seem to go together

I am 74 and recall a number of these over the years.

My dad was sent to Haiti with the Marine corps in the 1920s to maintain law and order.

I don't know if they have ever had a stable government.

[raccoon]

3. The US needs to get notes from Haiti about how to stop a coup. We may need the info. Nt

[Celerity]

4. President Jovenel Moise is the actual auto-coup perpetrator, he is refusing to step down

https://www.thecramm.com/news.html

THE BACKGROUND.

Meet Jovenel Moise. He’s been Haiti’s prez since 2016 - and according to the country’s constitution, last weekend was the end of his term. Only a slight problem...Moise didn’t step down. He has no plans to step down. He’s intending to stick around for another year because he technically wasn’t sworn in until 2017.


THE HAPPENINGS.

You can probably imagine how Haiti’s opposition movement took that. Enter: Joseph Mecene Jean-Louis, a 72 year old judge who’s been picked by the opposition to be interim prez. You read that right.


THE REACTION.

Very, very divided. Other than Haiti’s opposition movement, Jean-Louis also has the support of Haiti’s Superior Court of Justice. They want him to lead a transitional gov until everything gets sorted out. Meanwhile, Moise is backed by the Organization of American States and US Prez Joe Biden. And for the record, the whole Jean-Louis thing hasn’t changed Moise’s mind about anything. He still has every intention of keeping his job for another year. In fact, he wants to hold a referendum for a...new Haitian constitution that’d apparently “guarantee when a president is elected they can do the job they were elected to do.” Cue accusations of a power grab.


THE TAKE.

The situation’s already led to at least 23 arrests. TBD on if things keep escalating.