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Haitian authorities: "We thwart a coup attempt against the president"

The prime minister announced 23 detainees, including a Supreme Court justice and a senior political figure, claiming they wanted to oust President Jubilee Moyes.

The opposition wants him to resign, but he insists on staying until the end of his term in a year

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• Haiti

• Journal Moyes

Reuters

Monday, 08 February 2021, 10:39

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Authorities in Haiti yesterday (Sunday) arrested more than 20 people, including a Supreme Court justice, on charges of attempted coup against President Jubilee Moyes.

The announcement exacerbated political tensions on the poor Caribbean island.

Prime Minister Joseph Jotha said at a press conference at his private residence that a senior political figure was a 23-year-old detainee caught with money, weapons and ammunition.

"These people contacted security officials at the palace to arrest the president and led to the appointment of a new president," the prime minister said, alongside the justice minister and police chief.

The president, who spoke from the airport in the capital Port-au-Prince on his way to open an annual carnival in the canopy town of Jasmine, said the associates wanted to "assassinate my life".

The wave of arrests began after opposition leaders announced last week a plan to replace Moyes with a new head of state.

They accuse the president of authoritarian rule and responsibility for economic chaos in the poorest country in the Western Hemisphere.

Earlier yesterday, protesters clashed with police in the capital.

Further street demonstrations against the president have erupted in several other cities.

The opposition wants civil society and opposition leaders to elect a new president from the Supreme Court, instead of waiting for the September general election.

Moyes, who has been governed by decrees since the middle of last month, has stated that he will hand over power to the election winner but will not resign until the end of his term next year.

The United States on Friday called for a dialogue to resolve the crisis, stressing that "a newly elected president should replace President Moyes when his term ends on February 2, 2022."

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