Haitian Pulse - Politics

Port-au-Prince - As Fritz Jean Slams Diplomatic Overreach, Haiti’s Transitional Council Shows Deep Fractures

By The Haitian Pulse Editorial Team | June 8, 2025

In a country desperate for stability, two Council of Ministers meetings in three months is not just inefficiency—it’s institutional negligence. And now, the public is getting a glimpse of why.

From March 7 to June 7, 2025, the Haitian Transitional Presidential Council (CPT) met only twice in its official capacity. But according to CPT Coordinator Fritz Alphonse Jean, the delay wasn’t due to logistics—it was intentional. His reason? The council was being pushed to validate waves of unqualified political appointments into Haiti’s diplomatic corps.

“The Council of Ministers should address Haiti’s structural problems—not rubber-stamp incompetence,” Jean said in a bold interview with Le Nouvelliste.

Port-au-Prince - A Diplomatic Dumping Ground

At the center of the controversy is the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, accused of naming hundreds of underqualified individuals to diplomatic missions around the world. Jean, visibly frustrated, claims the appointments were made without proper vetting, without coordination, and often against the law and good governance principles.

“They’ve nominated fifty people to embassies that can barely support fifteen. Now, staff are working in shifts. It’s absurd—and disgraceful to our national image,” Jean added.

The accusations don’t stop there. Jean revealed that he repeatedly refused to approve these appointments but was ignored. Some embassies are reportedly bursting at the seams, and the costs of housing, rotation, and operational logistics are quietly ballooning—paid for by a country in economic freefall.

Inside the CPT: A House in Disarray

The CPT was designed to steer Haiti toward free elections, institutional reform, and national dialogue. Instead, it now appears to be splintered into warring camps, unable to agree even on basic governance.

A well-placed source inside the CPT told The Haitian Pulse that the body is now broken into at least four distinct factions:

• Group 1: PM Alix Didier Fils-Aimé, Smith Augustin, Louis Gérald Gilles, Emmanuel Vertilaire, and Laurent St-Cyr

• Group 2: Fritz Jean and Leslie Voltaire

• Group 3: Edgard Leblanc Fils (operating as a solo dissenting voice)

• Group 4: The two observers

The same source confirmed that more than 90% of diplomatic appointments were referred by members in Group 1, raising major red flags around nepotism and internal deal-making.

“This council was supposed to clean house, not expand the mess,” the source said.

Silence, Denial, and Political Evasion

In response to the growing backlash, Foreign Minister Harvel Jean-Baptiste has gone silent, declining multiple requests for comment. Other key figures like Louis Gérald Gilles also refused to answer or deflected, and CPT member Smith Augustin dismissed the issue outright, stating he “won’t respond to anonymous accusations.”

Meanwhile, public outrage is building. Haitians at home and in the diaspora, already skeptical of the CPT’s legitimacy, now see a transitional government repeating the exact practices that brought the country to collapse in the first place.

So What’s Really at Stake Here?

This isn't just about staffing embassies—it’s about Haiti’s credibility on the global stage.

Every reckless appointment undermines what little diplomatic capital Haiti has left. Every ignored reform sets back trust in governance. And every delay in real action further alienates the Haitian people, who were promised transparency, competence, and a clean break from past corruption.

Fritz Jean’s refusal to organize more Council of Ministers meetings may be principled—but if he’s alone, can it amount to real change?

“We cannot repeat the same old mistakes,” Jean warned. “This is not a time for political theater. This is a time for serious nation-building.”

We’re Watching the Rot in Real Time

At a time when France is discussing reparations, the U.S. is tightening immigration laws, and Haiti’s people are crying for leadership, this internal chaos is not just embarrassing—it’s dangerous.

What good is a council that can’t agree to meet, can’t vet diplomats, and can’t move Haiti one inch closer to functioning sovereignty?

The people of Haiti deserve better. And the CPT has until August 7, when Jean is expected to step down, to prove it hasn’t already failed.

What Do You Think?

Is Fritz Jean protecting Haiti from another diplomatic disaster—or just stalling the inevitable?

Are these appointments a new face on the same old corruption?

And can the CPT still earn the trust of a people long betrayed by their leaders?

👉 Drop your thoughts in the comments below. Your voice is part of this pulse.

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