Haitian Minister of Foreign Affairs Claude Joseph spoke to FRANCE 24 about concerns the United States and the international community have of the recent political turmoil in his country over the presidential term limit.
Haitian Foreign Minister Claude Joseph said that calm has returned and the situation is "under control" in Haiti after the turmoil of recent days and that he believes the opposition's questioning of the president's term of office is a political manoeuvre.
Joseph denounced an attempted coup d'état and even an assassination attempt against President Jovenel Moïse. He accuses a judge of the Supreme Court of Cassation of being behind the attempt and added that solid evidence exists of his involvement and is the subject of a judicial investigation.
It is because of these serious suspicions that this judge, along with two other magistrates of the Court, are the subject of a presidential decree to put them out of office, he said. He rejected the fears expressed by the United States and the United Nations on the legality of Moïse's decree:
"The president is the one that should make sure that all institutions are performing pretty well," Joseph said, stressing that the seriousness of the evidence justified the decree. "With the Cour de Cassation, or the Supreme Court as you may call it, you have judges that are trying to kill the president just because they want to be president by all means," he said.
The Haitian foreign minister denied any dictatorial drift by the president and any intention to modify the constitution in order to run again.
Joseph added that the only expression of the popular will is through the ballot box and not violence.
Click on the video player to watch the full interview.
