Haiti says attempted coup on Moise's govt. foiled

Haitian authorities say they have foiled an attempt to overthrow the government of President Jovenel Moise in the impoverished Caribbean country that is divided by a dispute over when the president's term in office ends.

The plot was an "attempted coup d'etat," according to Justice Minister Rockefeller Vincent, with officials saying several people, including a Supreme Court judge and a police general inspector, were arrested.

Prime Minister Joseph Jouthe told a news conference that 23 people had been detained with money, guns and ammunition.

“These people had contacted national palace security officials, high-ranking officers of the national palace whose mission was to arrest the president ... and also to facilitate the installation of a new president,” Jouthe said, speaking alongside the minister of justice and the chief of police.

Moise, speaking later at the Port-Au-Prince airport on his way to launch the annual carnival in the coastal town of Jacmel, said the plotters aimed to kill him.

“I thank my head of security at the palace. The goal of these people was to make an attempt on my life,” Moise said. “That plan was aborted.”

Moise then went on to say that he was "not a dictator,” and that his term in office "ends Feb. 7, 2022.”

Leading opposition figures, however, demand that Moise step down immediately, saying his five-year term ended on Sunday.

They dismissed claims that a coup had been attempted.

"You don't carry out a coup with two pistols and three or four rifles," lawyer Andre Michel told AFP.

He added that Moise's term had ended and therefore he could not claim that a coup had taken place against him.

Overnight Sunday, opposition parties announced they had picked a top judge as interim leader.

In a video statement sent to AFP, Judge Joseph Mecene Jean-Louis said he "accepted the choice of the opposition and civil society, to serve (his) country as interim president for the transition."

Moise is refusing to leave office, arguing that he was not in charge during the first year of his five-year term in office which was led by an interim government.

Meanwhile, earlier on Sunday, an anti-government protest was staged in Port-Au-Prince, with demonstrators clashing with police which responded using tear gas. There were also reports of protests in other towns.

Haitians call for President Moise to step down

Haitians marched to the headquarters of the United Nations on Friday to protest international support for President Jovenel Moise.

The government in Haiti, which is the Western hemisphere’s poorest country, has been struggling to end the crippling economic crisis made worse after the global COVID-19 pandemic.

The country's dire economic situation has led to a surge in gang violence and a sharp rise in illegal activities and crime, which has weighed further on the economy and dealt a heavy blow to the people's life quality and overall happiness.

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