Haiti’s Transitional Presidential Council Steps Down, Consolidating Executive Power Under US-Backed Prime Minister Fils-Aimé

On Saturday, February 7, 2026, the Transitional Presidential Council (TPC) of Haiti officially concluded its mandate, marking a pivotal shift in the nation's governance amidst persistent political turmoil and rampant gang violence. The nine-member body, which had been at the helm of the Caribbean nation since April 2024, formally transferred full executive authority to Prime Minister Alix Didier Fils-Aimé. During the official ceremony, Council President Laurent Saint-Cyr oversaw the transition, emphasizing that the new administration must prioritize the restoration of public safety, the fostering of political reconciliation, and the organization of long-overdue national elections.

Prime Minister Fils-Aimé, who has held his position since November 2024, now finds himself as the sole wielder of executive power in a country grappling with deep-seated instability. This consolidation of authority follows a period of intense internal friction that reached a boiling point in late January 2026, when several members of the TPC attempted to oust the Prime Minister from his post. This move was met with firm opposition from the United States, which viewed Fils-Aimé as a vital component for maintaining a semblance of order. The tension between the TPC and Washington became evident on January 25, when the U.S. State Department revoked the visas of two Council members over alleged ties to criminal organizations, signaling a clear preference for the Prime Minister’s leadership and the maintenance of stability until the Council's dissolution.

The magnitude of the crisis facing the newly empowered executive remains staggering, with criminal syndicates estimated to control approximately 90 percent of the capital, Port-au-Prince, as of early 2026. This lack of state control has resulted in a humanitarian catastrophe, leaving roughly 1.4 million people—nearly 10 percent of the total population—displaced and suffering from acute food shortages. The human cost of the anarchy has been devastating; data indicates that in 2025 alone, gang-related violence claimed at least 4,384 lives and left 1,899 individuals injured between January and September. These figures represent a grim continuation of the downward spiral that began following the 2021 assassination of President Jovenel Moïse, which left a power vacuum the country has yet to fill.

As the former head of Haiti’s Chamber of Commerce, Fils-Aimé now bears the heavy responsibility of organizing the country’s first national elections since 2016. The transition has been heavily influenced by international actors, most notably the United States, which recently deployed naval assets, including the destroyer USS Stockdale, to Haitian waters as part of Operation "Southern Spear." This show of force was widely interpreted by analysts as a message of Washington's commitment to steering the local political landscape. While the TPC was originally established in April 2024 with the backing of CARICOM, Canada, France, and Brazil, its inability to curb the violence—which the UN noted had already reached 90 percent control of the capital by July 2025—led to the dissolution of its collective rule. The burden of restoring law and order and rebuilding the state now rests entirely on the shoulders of one man.