Haiti awaits new chief as official mourning starts for Moïse

Haitian President Jovenel Moise , Assassinated During Attack on His Home.Haitian President Jovenel Moise , Assassinated During Attack on His Home.President Jovenel Moise was killed during an attack at his home in the early hours of July 7. He was 53.The First Lady of Haiti was also shot and is currently hospitalized.Specific details as to the nature of the attack have not been released.Calling the assassination "a heinous, inhumane and barbaric act," interim Prime Minister Claude Joesph appealed to the public to remain calm.The security situation in the country is under the control of the Haitian National Police and the Haitian Armed Forces, Claude Joseph, Interim Prime Minister, via CNN.All measures are being taken to guarantee the continuity of the State and to protect the Nation, Claude Joseph, Interim Prime Minister, via CNN.Moise was a controversial political figure, who many in Haiti believed should have stepped down earlier this year as mandated by the Haitian constitution.Moise disputed calls to end his term, claiming that he had the right to serve one more year.Moise's replacement as president has not yet been made clear

PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti — While they await a new leader, Haitians are beginning a series of official ceremonies Tuesday to honor President Jovenel Moïse nearly two weeks after he was assassinated at home.

The ceremonies come as designated Prime Minister Ariel Henry prepared to replace interim Prime Minister Claude Joseph, who assumed leadership of Haiti with the backing of police and the military after the July 7 attack at Moïse’s private home. Moïse was shot multiple times and his wife was seriously wounded.

Henry is scheduled to be sworn in on Tuesday afternoon after promising to form a provisional consensus government to lead Haiti until elections are held.

“We will need this unity to overcome the many challenges that beset us,” Henry said. “Some have observed the latest events with amazement, others wonder with reason about the management of the country.”

Henry said he has met with various unidentified actors as well as civil society and the private sector. “I intend to continue and deepen these discussions, because it is the only way to bring the Haitian family together,” he said.

The government released the names of Henry’s cabinet, with the ministers of justice, economy, finance, agriculture and others keeping their positions.

Haiti elections minister Mathias Pierre told The Associated Press on Monday that Joseph would step down and cede the position to Henry, who was chosen for the post by Moïse shortly before he was killed but had not been sworn in.

The change in leadership comes after a group of key international diplomats called on Henry to create a “consensual and inclusive government” in a statement issued Saturday that made no reference to Joseph. The Core Group is composed of ambassadors from Germany, Brazil, Canada, Spain, the U.S., France and the European Union as well as representatives from the United Nations and the Organization of American States.

Robert Fatton, a Haitian politics expert at the University of Virginia, said Joseph’s departure was to be expected.

“Joseph’s fate was sealed over the weekend,” he said. “Everything that happens in Haiti has a powerful foreign component.”

On the same day the Core Group issued its statement, first lady Martine Moïse arrived back unannounced in Haiti to the surprise of many. She had been recovering at a hospital in Miami after being seriously injured in the attack. On Monday, her office issued the first public statement since the killing, thanking Haitians for their support.

“Your moral support gives the presidential family the courage to go through this great ordeal and helps it transcend these moments of indescribable pain,” it said.

On Monday, the U.N. said that Joseph and Henry had made significant progress in the past week to end the impasse and that it supports dialogue to find “minimal consensus” for holding fair legislative and presidential elections.

Authorities have arrested more than 20 suspects for alleged direct links to the killing. The majority of them were former Colombian soldiers, many of whom officials say were duped.