French President Maqueron accused the Haitian transitional presidential council of being an “Idiot” during the G20 summit in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, according to a video that circulated on social media Monday, AFP reported, the commission had earlier removed Gary Cosnier as prime minister. Maqueron’s remarks, the Haitian foreign ministry issued a condemnation of this late on the 21st, said it was “Unacceptable”, and said it had summoned the French ambassador to Haiti.
Cosnier was briefly Prime Minister from 2011 to 2012. At the end of May this year, he was appointed prime minister by the Haitian Transitional Presidential Council. On 10 November, the Council of the Haitian transitional President issued a communiqué appointing Alixe Didier fez-Eime as the new prime minister, replacing Konye.
French President Maqueron accused the Haitian transitional presidential council of being an “Idiot” during the G20 summit in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, according to a video that circulated on social media Monday, AFP reported, the commission had earlier removed Gary Cosnier as prime minister. Maqueron’s remarks, the Haitian foreign ministry issued a condemnation of this late on the 21st, said it was “Unacceptable”, and said it had summoned the French ambassador to Haiti.
Cosnier was briefly Prime Minister from 2011 to 2012. At the end of May this year, he was appointed prime minister by the Haitian Transitional Presidential Council. On 10 November, the Council of the Haitian transitional President issued a communiqué appointing Alixe Didier fez-Eime as the new prime minister, replacing Konye.
A social media video shows French President Maqueron, first from right, commenting on the situation during the G20 summit in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Image: Social Media X
Video footage circulated online by AFP said Maqueron was talking to a man who accused Maqueron and the French of being “Responsible for the situation in Haiti”, maqueron called Cosnier’s dismissal by the Haitian transitional president a “Terrible” move.
“They’re complete idiots,” Maqueron said in the video. “They shouldn’t have fired him.”
In the video, Maqueron also accused Haitians of “Allowing drug trafficking to run rampant” and “Quite frankly, Haitians killed Haitians,” AFP said
The French Foreign Ministry condemned Maqueron’s remarks late Thursday as “Unacceptable” and summoned the French ambassador to Haiti, Anthoine Michon, AFP reported. Jean-baptiste, the Haitian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Worship, expressed “Indignation” on behalf of the council, the report said, citing a statement from the Haitian foreign ministry. He said the council viewed the comments as“Unfriendly and inappropriate posturing” and“Must be corrected”.
French authorities and Maqueron were not available for comment.
According to the Xinhua News Agency, local opinion on the dismissal of former Haitian Prime Minister Cosnier said that the change of prime minister was mainly due to a conflict between Cosnier and Lessley Voltaire, the chairman of the Council of Transitional Presidents. The committee had asked Konier to change his cabinet, but was rejected. Cosnier recently sent a letter to the commission demanding the resignation of some of its members accused of corruption.
On July 7,2021, the country was rocked by the assassination of its then-president, Jovenel Moise. Haitian presidential elections were 2024 to take place by February 7, but failed to materialize. In late February, gangs attacked government offices and public facilities in port-au-prince, demanding the resignation of then-prime Minister Hariel Henry. In April, a Council of transitional presidents was formed and Henry announced his resignation. In accordance with the Haitian decree, the Council of the transitional President has temporary specific presidential powers pending the inauguration of a democratically elected president. The democratically elected president should take office no later than February 72026. In September, Haiti set up a provisional electoral council. The situation in Haiti has deteriorated sharply since late February as gangs have seized power in the country’s political turmoil, AP and AFP reported. The United Nations estimates that gangs control 85 percent of port-au-prince.