Haiti parliament ousts prime minister in no-confidence vote

Prime Minister Henry Ceant and his Cabinet will remain in place in Haiti with limited powers until President Jovenel Moise and the heads of parliament's two houses agree on a replacement.

Haiti's prime minister Jean-Henry Ceant sits during his appointment ceremony at the national Palace in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, Tuesday, Aug. 7, 2018.
AP

Haiti's prime minister Jean-Henry Ceant sits during his appointment ceremony at the national Palace in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, Tuesday, Aug. 7, 2018.

Haitian Prime Minister Henry Ceant has been thrown out of office by a no-confidence vote prompted by government dysfunction and inability to quash inflation, blackouts and frequent opposition protests that have paralyzed the country.

The Chamber of Deputies voted 93-6, with three abstaining, on Monday to replace Ceant as soon as President Jovenel Moise and the heads of parliament's two houses agree on a replacement. 

Until then, Ceant and his Cabinet will remain in place with limited powers, raising the prospect of even rockier government performance.

Moise and Ceant have had frequent disagreements that have hampered Ceant's ability to carry out his constitutional duty to run the state.

Ceant has held office since July, when his predecessor was removed for mismanagement of the end of subsidized oil aid from Venezuela.

Haiti, the first nation to be formed by former slaves in 1804, is the poorest country in the Americas, its economic progress stunted by a long history of political instability, disastrous foreign interventions, and mismanagement.

Almost 60 percent of the country’s nearly 11 million people are living below the national poverty line of $2 a day. 

The impoverished Caribbean nation is one of the least developed countries on the planet, ranking 168 out of 189 on the UNDP’s 2018 Human Development Index. 

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