Haitian Prime Minister Jack Guy Lafontant faced a vote of no confidence over his handling of a failed plan to raise the cost of diesel by 47% and petrol by 38%.
PORT-AU-PRINCE: Haitian Prime Minister Jack Guy Lafontant resigned on Saturday as he faced a non-confidence vote after a move to lower fuel subsidies prompted days of violent protests in the impoverished Caribbean nation.
Last week, the government in the impoverished Caribbean country announced plans for major fuel price hikes 38 per cent for gasoline, 47 per cent for diesel and 51 per cent for kerosene.
The announcement sparked mass protests, with streets in the capital Port-au-Prince and other cities blocked with barricades of debris and burning tires.
Lafontant, a 57-year medical doctor who took office in March 2017, had said the price hikes of 38 percent to 51 percent for gasoline, diesel and kerosene were needed for Haiti to balance its budget.
The hike was part of an agreement with the International Monetary Fund, which required Haiti to enact a series of economic reforms in exchange for $96 million from donors.he fuel price measure is just one of the difficult issues awaiting Haiti’s next government.
The unrest caused embassies to close and airlines to suspend flights to Haiti for days. At least seven people were killed and dozens of businesses were looted or destroyed during three days of demonstrations.
