2 men are claiming to be Haiti's prime minister after the country's president was assassinated
- Haiti's interim prime minister and a man who was just named prime minister are both claiming the title following Haitian President Jovenel Moïse's assassination on Wednesday.
- Interim Prime Minister Claude Joseph says "law and the constitution" designate him as prime minister.
- But Ariel Henry, who Moïse named prime minister one day before his death, says he's actually in charge now.
Two men are claiming to be Haiti's prime minister after the country's president, Jovenel Moïse, was assassinated on Wednesday.
Interim Prime Minister Claude Joseph and Ariel Henry, who Moïse named as prime minister on Tuesday before his death, are both claiming the title and giving disputed interviews to the press.
Joseph was the leader who announced Moïse's death, and told The New York Times on Wednesday that he was now in charge of Haiti's government. Joseph has declared a "state of siege," which closed the country's borders and instituted martial law.
Joseph later told The Associated Press that Henry was "designated" as prime minister but "never took office."
"I was the one who was a prime minister, who was in office. This is what the law and the constitution says," he told AP.
Henry, however, contradicted Joseph in his own interview with AP.
"It's an exceptional situation. There is a bit of confusion," he said. "I am the prime minister in office."
In an interview with Haitian newspaper Le Nouvelliste, Henry added that while he claimed to be the rightful leader, he urged a "consensus" be reached and said he didn't want to "throw oil on the fire."
At a press conference on Thursday, Helen La Lime, the United Nations Special Envoy to Haiti, backed Joseph as the prime minister, and said he has the right to executive power, per Article 149 of Haiti's constitution.
"In the event of the death of a president, the current government assumes executive powers, and then the prime minister presides over this group and gives them guidance," she said. "And they take Haiti to elections and a new elected president of Haiti."
The first round of presidential elections is expected to take place in September, La Lime said.