Thousands of Haiti citizens have taken to the streets in fresh anti-government protests after Mr Moïse refused to step down as president on Sunday. Some protestors were reportedly injured as police shot rubber bullets to disperse the crowd.
Haiti's opposition consists of religious and civil society groups, members of the judiciary and human rights organisations in addition to other political parties. They say that Moïse's term ended last Sunday, 5 years after his predecessor stepped down. But Moïse insists that he has one more year in office as he did not take office till 2017. The one year gap was due to allegations of electoral fraud which led to the cancellation of results of the 2015 elections and fresh elections being conducted.
As protests mounted, the government announced the arrest of 20 people who were allegedly involved in a "coup attempt" backed by the opposition. The opposition has dismissed his claims.
The opposition says Moïse's time in office was saturated with corruption and irresponsibility leading to a surge in violent gang crime. The standard of living has also dropped in the nation which already has 60% of its population living under the poverty line.
Moïse led by presidential decree last year after suspending two-thirds of the Senate, the entire lower Chamber of Deputies and every mayor throughout the country. He has refused to hold elections and critics are questioning his use of decree to push forward his policies.
He is also pushing for a "modernisation" of the country's constitution which might involve getting rid of a clause banning presidents from serving two consecutive terms.
The opposition promises more anti-government protests even as signs of protest fatigue is spotted in the coronavirus battered country.
Written by Anushree Appandairajan
Artwork by Mrishana
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