Alix Didier Fils-Aimé sworn in as Haiti’s prime minister at widely attended ceremony

PORT-AU-PRINCE — Haitian businessman Alix Didier Fils-Aimé received the official decree on Monday, Nov. 11 appointing him as Haiti’s new prime minister, replacing Garry Conille at a swearing-in ceremony attended by Conille’s ministers, ambassadors and leaders of the multinational police mission. Conille was dismissed by the Transitional Presidential Council (CPT) after serving five months in office since his appointment on June 3, 2024.

“The establishment of the National Defense and Security Council will allow us to develop effective strategies involving all of the country’s security forces, in collaboration with the multinational force. This is how we will provide a comprehensive response to insecurity,” said Fils-Aimé in his acceptance speech.

Fils-Aimé assured the nation that his government would work to organize uncontested elections in the country. He called on all sectors to contribute and take responsibility for the national interest.

“This is the project I am committed to,” Fils-Aimé said. “Together, we will enable the country to have legitimate authorities capable of making decisions. The situation is chaotic, but nothing is impossible.”

Among the participants were the ambassadors of France and Canada, Antoine Michon and André François Giroux, along with several ministers from Garry Conille’s government, including those of Economy, Defense, Commerce, and Education. Also present were Rameau Normil, Director General of the Haitian National Police (PNH), Godfrey Otunge, head of the Multinational Security Support Mission (MSS), Derby Guerrier, Commander-in-Chief of the Haitian Armed Forces (FADH), and Maria Isabel Salvador, UN Secretary-General’s representative.

Conille steps down without a resignation letter, his ministers attend the new PM’s ceremony

Conille ultimately accepted his dismissal despite publicly denouncing the decree from the Transitional Presidential Council as illegal. Local media reports that Conille did not show up at the Prime Minister’s Office on Monday to submit his resignation. He also did not respond to the invitation from the Secretary-General of the National Palace, who had invited him to the inauguration ceremony of his successor.

In a letter from the Secretariat of the Prime Minister’s Office, government members, including Conille, were invited to attend the inauguration ceremony of the new Prime Minister, Fils-Aimé.

Conille, 58, served twice as Prime Minister, first under Martelly (2012-2016) and later replacing Ariel Henry amid a surge in gang violence (June – Nov. 2024). He holds a master’s in health policy and administration from the U.S., a gynecology specialization, and a medical doctorate from the State University of Haiti.

Who is Fils-Aimé?

In March 2024, Fils-Aimé, 52 was among the figures considered for the position of Prime Minister as part of an agreement reached between various sectors of national life, under the auspices of CARICOM. However, Conille was ultimately chosen by the CPT at that time. Fils-Aimé also ran an unsuccessful bid for the Haitian Senate in 2015.

The newly appointed Prime Minister holds a degree in Business Management and a specialization in Finance from Boston University, as well as completing the Leaders in Development Program at Harvard University.  

He is the owner and shareholder of several companies, including Haiti Networking Group SA (HAINET), an internet service provider in Haiti, Blanchisserie du Soleil, a dry cleaning chain, COFI Industrie SA, a manufacturer of paper products, and San Aquino SA, involved in the development of the tourism industry.

Fils-Aimé is also actively involved in Haiti’s associative life, having served as Chairman of the Board of the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Haiti (CCIH) and the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of the West (CCIO) during Michel Joseph Martelly’s presidency. 

He is a founding member of the Haitian Association of Information and Communication Technology Enterprises (ATIC) and has also been a member of the Presidential Commission on Information and Communication Technologies.

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