Jack Guy Lafontant (born 4 April 1961) is a Haitian politician who served as

Prime Minister of Haiti The prime minister of Haiti (French: , ht, Premye Minis Ayiti) is the head of government of Haiti. The office was created under the 1987 Constitution; previously, all executive power was held by the president or head of state, who appointed and ...

from 21 March 2017 until 16 September 2018.

Early life and education

Lafontant studied medicine, specializing in

gastroenterology Gastroenterology (from the Greek gastḗr- “belly”, -énteron “intestine”, and -logía "study of") is the branch of medicine focused on the digestive system and its disorders. The digestive system consists of the gastrointestinal tract ...

and internal medicine and became a university instructor. He became a member of the Haitian Medical Association and the

American College of Gastroenterology The American College of Gastroenterology (ACG) is a Bethesda, Maryland–based medical association of gastroenterologists. The association was founded in 1932 and holds annual meetings and regional postgraduate continuing education courses, es ...

.''RFI: A la Une: Jack Guy Lafontant, Désigné Nouveau Premier Ministre d’Haïti''

Career

Lafontant is a member of the Rotary Club of

Pétion-Ville Pétion-Ville ( ht, Petyonvil) is a commune and a suburb of Port-au-Prince, Haiti, in the hills east and separate from the city itself on the northern hills of the Massif de la Selle. Founded in 1831 by president Jean-Pierre Boyer, it was named ...

, Port-au-Prince, and served as the group's president in 2016. He was appointed as prime minister on 22 February 2017 and presented his cabinet on 13 March 2017. His government obtained a vote of confidence from the Senate on 16 March and from the Chamber of Deputies on 21 March, with 95 votes for and 6 against with 2 abstentions. He assumed his responsibilities the same day his government won the vote of confidence. His position as prime minister was his debut in politics. Following deadly mass protests against a government plan to raise fuel prices, Lafontant announced on 14 July 2018 that he had submitted his resignation to President Moïse, who accepted it. Moise confirmed that he had accepted Lafontant's resignation and stated that he would work to find a new Prime Minister. He actually serves as caretaker.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Lafontant, Jack Guy 1961 births 21st-century Haitian politicians Haitian gastroenterologists Living people People from Port-au-Prince Prime Ministers of Haiti