Haitian President Jovenel Moïse was assassinated in an attack on his residence, the country’s interim prime minister said on Wednesday, plunging the unstable Caribbean nation into fresh political turmoil.
A group of assailants entered the residence toward 1 a.m. local time on Wednesday, shooting the president and wounding the first lady, who has been hospitalized, Prime Minister Claude Joseph told Radio Television Caraibes.
“I call on the public to remain calm,” the prime minister said.
Mr. Joseph said the attackers spoke Spanish but remained unidentified. Haiti is a French-speaking country.
The country, the poorest in the Western Hemisphere, has been roiled by violent protests, economic contraction brought by the pandemic and security concerns since Mr. Moïse, who was narrowly elected in 2016, refused to leave office in February, arguing that his term lasted another year. Opposition leaders accused Mr. Moïse of turning into an autocrat.
The 53-year-old president, a former banana plantation manager, also launched an effort to rewrite Haiti’s Constitution to give the presidency more power. Among other things, the changes would allow the president to run for a second term, greater control over the armed forces and legal immunity from actions taken while in office.
Mr. Moïse had postponed a referendum due in late June on a new constitution amid rising criticism, including from the U.S. The referendum was postponed until September, when new presidential elections are scheduled.
Haiti has been increasingly unstable in the past few years. Its economy shrank amid rising lawlessness and gang violence in communities. The country has had six prime ministers over the past four years.
