Official: Haiti’s interim prime minister to step down

Haiti’s designated Prime Minister Ariel Henry will replace the country’s interim prime minister to honor the wishes of the country’s slain president, an official told The Associated Press on Monday.

It wasn’t immediately clear how quickly interim Prime Minister Claude Joseph, who has been leading Haiti with the backing of police and the military since the July 7 assassination of President Jovenel Moïse, would step down.

“Negotiations are still in course,” Haiti Elections Minister Mathias Pierre said, adding that Joseph would go back to being a minister of foreign affairs.

Joseph could not be immediately reached for comment, and Henry did not return a message for comment.

The change follows a statement Saturday from a key group of international diplomats that appeared to snub Joseph, calling on Henry to form a government.

Moïse designated Henry as prime minister a day before he was killed, but he had not been sworn in.