The Haitian opposition on Monday escalated a constitutional crisis by naming a magistrate as an interim leader for the troubled Caribbean country amid a dispute over when the term of President Jovenel Moise ends.
Political tension was exacerbated on Sunday when Mr Moise alleged there had been an attempt to overthrow the government and kill him, with 23 people arrested, including a Supreme Court judge and a senior police official.
Mr Moise spoke at Haiti’s airport in Port-au-Prince, flanked by the country’s prime minister and the police chief as he prepared to leave for the southern coastal town of Jacmel for the opening ceremony of its yearly carnival, which is being held amid the coronavirus pandemic.
“There was an attempt on my life,” he said.
The opposition dismissed the suggestion of a coup attempt, and said Mr Moise should have stepped down on February 7 when it says his five-year term ended.
The president has vowed to stay in power until February 2022, pointing out that an interim administration had governed for a year after he was elected in a disputed poll that was cancelled by the electoral council.
Mr Moise took power in 2017 after new elections.
Magistrate Joseph Mecene Jean Louis, 72, said in a video message that he had been chosen by the opposition to replace Mr Moise, who the opposition accuses of being authoritarian and presiding over a crippling economic crisis.
"I declare to accept the choice of the opposition and the civil society to be able to serve my country as the provisional president," Mr Jean Louis said.
Mr Moise, who has ruled by decree since January last year, has stated he would hand over power to the winner of the September presidential election but would not step down until his term expires in 2022.
The United States, which is the biggest donor to Haiti, appears to have backed Mr Moise's timeline, saying the new president should take office in February next year.
Ned Price, a US State Department spokesman, said on Friday that the US had urged Haiti to organise free and fair elections so that Parliament could resume operations. A new elected president, he said, should succeed Mr Moise when his terms ends in February 2022.
On Monday, Mr Moise held a cabinet meeting and said the government was "taking all measures to ensure the safety of the population".
He said the alleged plot against him began on November 20 but did not provide further details or any evidence except to say among the people arrested is a judge and an inspector general with the police.
Justice Minister Rockefeller Vincent accused the inspector general of being in touch with high-ranking security officials at the National Palace over an alleged plot to have the president arrested.
Andre Michel, one of Haiti’s top opposition leaders, held a press conference hours after the arrests and called for civil disobedience and demanded that Mr Moise be arrested.
"The mobilisation must continue to force Jovenel Moise to leave office," Mr Michel said. "We hope that the international community will support our approach."
The opposition has organised recent protests demanding that Mr Moise step down, and normally congested streets in Haiti's capital and elsewhere remained empty on Sunday except for about 100 protesters who gathered in Port-au-Prince and clashed with police.
Haiti's executive branch, consisting of the president, prime minister and ministers, published a decree announcing three Supreme Court judges who were approached by the opposition to replace Mr Moise as president are to be retired.
Haiti's military on Monday said it was concerned about political events but appeared to back Mr Moise, saying it would defend the rule of law and "legitimate authorities democratically elected by the population".
Earlier in the day, two journalists covering a small protest were shot in the capital and one of them is in a serious condition, according to news outlets and videos uploaded on social media.
