Monday will mark five years since Haitian President Jovenel Moïse came into office in an election that, instead of shoring up democracy in an already volatile Haiti, plunged it deeper into crisis and a bitter constitutional power dispute even before his July 7 assassination.
Marred by allegations of fraud and low turnout, the 2017 presidential vote took place 15 months after a disastrous first round that was discarded due to “massive irregularities.” Over the course of Moïse’s embattled presidency and up to moment of his middle-of-the-night slaying, he faced mass protests, resignation calls and accusations of violating the constitution and illegally amassing power as he ruled by decree.
Now, on what should be the official end of Moïse’s presidential term according to the calculation of the U.S. State Department, Haiti will once again be without an elected president to swear in on Feb. 7.
