The April 24 Initiative Recommends a So-Called Foundational Transition

PETION-VILLE.— Meeting on Tuesday, May 20, 2025, a coalition, composed of several political parties and civil society organizations, expressed its concerns regarding political governance in Haiti. Following this meeting, the participants proposed a reorientation of the transition. Documented in a text titled «Plan de gouvernance de la transition» (Transition Governance Plan), the positions of the April 24 Initiative are clear: the Transitional Presidential Council (CPT) and the government of Prime Minister Alix Didier Fils-Aimé are unproductive. The coalition accuses them of failing to provide concrete solutions to the political, social, and security crisis plaguing the country. «Unemployment and the degradation of living conditions, the escalation of violence, and the control of over 85% of Port-au-Prince by armed gangs» are alarming facts evoked by Gina Guilet Delatour, representative of Kasasyon Nou Prale, highlighting issues that deeply affect the future of Haitian youth. A Reorientation of the Transition Towards the Court of Cassation Given the inefficiency of the current government, the April 24 Initiative proposed a reorientation of the executive power, suggesting that the Court of Cassation temporarily lead the transition to establish consensus governance, based on technical expertise and a broad national agreement. According to the April 24 Initiative's proposal, the next transition should unfold in four phases: the installation of a new government, the restoration of security, the initiation of major projects including humanitarian interventions, and the holding of elections to achieve an orderly transfer of power. The Transition Must Be Foundational for the State For the signatories of the April 24 Initiative, the transition cannot be a mere political interval. «It must be the foundation of a paradigm shift, a structural reversal of the governance model inherited from decades of instability, exclusion, and clientelism,» they argued, asserting that this common project is a historic commitment to place the State back at the service of the Haitian people, in a spirit of justice, efficiency, sovereignty, and regained dignity. «The success of this stage in the country's history relies on integrity in leadership, an unwavering political will, and the conscious mobilization of the nation's vital forces,» hopes the April 24 Initiative, inviting the country to proactivity to reconcile the nation with itself, redefine its social pact, and re-enroll Haiti on the path of hope, shared prosperity, and assumed sovereignty. This initiative comes in a context marked by persistent insecurity, prolonged political instability, and forced displacement of populations. Daily difficulties, combined with the absence of visible progress in the political transition, fuel popular discontent and strengthen the call for concerted and profound change. Jean Mapou