Claude Joseph () is a Haitian politician who served as Minister of Foreign Affairs and Worship from 4 March 2020 to 24 November 2021, and served as acting

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

from 14 April 2021 to 20 July 2021. Joseph was appointed acting Prime Minister following the resignation of Joseph Jouthe. Following the

assassination Assassination is the willful killing, by a sudden, secret, or planned attack, of a personespecially if prominent or important. It may be prompted by political, ideological, religious, financial, or military motives. Assassinations are orde ...

of President

Jovenel Moïse Jovenel Moïse (; ; 26 June 1968 – 7 July 2021) was a Haitian politician and Businessperson, businessman who served as President of Haiti from 2017 until Assassination of Jovenel Moïse, his assassination in 2021. Moïse assumed the preside ...

on 7 July 2021, Joseph led the

Council of Ministers Council of Ministers is a traditional name given to the supreme Executive (government), executive organ in some governments. It is usually equivalent to the term Cabinet (government), cabinet. The term Council of State is a similar name that also m ...

, which exercises executive power during a presidential vacancy. This role was disputed by Prime Minister-designate

Ariel Henry Ariel Henry (; born 6 November 1949) is a Haitian neurosurgeon and politician who served as the acting Prime Minister of Haiti, prime minister of Haiti from Assassination of Jovenel Moïse, the assassination of Jovenel Moïse in 2021 until his r ...

and Senate leader Joseph Lambert. On 19 July 2021, it was announced that Joseph would yield the prime ministership to Henry and remain the Minister of Foreign Affairs and Worship. He stepped down as the foreign minister in November 2021. In February 2024, he was indicted for alleged complicity in President Moïse's assassination alongside Moïse's widow and a former chief of the Haitian police.

Early life and education

Joseph holds a doctorate in public policy from

The New School The New School is a Private university, private research university in New York City. It was founded in 1919 as The New School for Social Research with an original mission dedicated to academic freedom and intellectual inquiry and a home for p ...

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

where he was awarded a full merit-based scholarship as well as the Isador Lubin Fellowship, and worked as a university professor in the

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

. He has taught at the

University of Connecticut The University of Connecticut (UConn) is a public land-grant research university system with its main campus in Storrs, Connecticut, United States. It was founded in 1881 as the Storrs Agricultural School, named after two benefactors. In 1893, ...

and

Long Island University Long Island University (LIU) is a private university in Brooklyn and Brookville, New York, United States. The university enrolls over 16,000 students and offers over 500 academic programs at its main campuses, LIU Brooklyn and LIU Post on Long I ...

. On 4 March 2020, he became Minister of Foreign Affairs in the government of Prime Minister Joseph Jouthe.

Acting Prime Minister of Haiti

After the resignation of Jouthe, he was appointed interim prime minister by President

on 14 April 2021. Moïse chose

to succeed him in this role, but did not sign Henry's appointment. On 7 July 2021, President Moïse was

assassinated Assassination is the willful killing, by a sudden, secret, or planned attack, of a personespecially if prominent or important. It may be prompted by political, ideological, religious, financial, or military motives. Assassinations are orde ...

and First Lady

Martine Moïse Martine Marie Étienne Moïse (née Joseph; born 5 June 1974) is the former First Lady of Haiti and widow of assassinated Haitian President Jovenel Moïse. She served as the first lady from 7 February 2017 to 7 July 2021. Moïse was wounded duri ...

was injured during an attack at their residence in

Pétion-Ville Pétion-Ville (; ) 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 after Alexa ...

. Joseph assumed political control of the government, and blamed the attack on "a group of unidentified individuals, some of whom spoke in Spanish and English." At that time, Joseph stated that he was in control of the country. The legal succession to the presidency was unclear. Meanwhile, eight out of ten sitting members of Haiti's

Senate A senate is a deliberative assembly, often the upper house or chamber of a bicameral legislature. The name comes from the ancient Roman Senate (Latin: ''Senatus''), so-called as an assembly of the senior (Latin: ''senex'' meaning "the el ...

chose the Senate speaker Joseph Lambert as the interim President on 9 July. The United Nations special envoy for Haiti,

Helen La Lime Helen Ruth Meagher La Lime (born 1951) is a diplomat, former United States Ambassador to Angola, and United Nations Special Representative in Haiti. Early life and education Born Helen R. Meagher, she is one of three daughters of Ray Meagher, a ...

, said on 8 July 2021 that Joseph would lead Haiti until an election is held later in the year, urging all parties to set aside differences. The United States meanwhile recognized Joseph as the interim Prime Minister of Haiti. A group of prominent diplomats to Haiti called the "Core Group", which is made up of ambassadors to Haiti from

Brazil Brazil, officially the Federative Republic of Brazil, is the largest country in South America. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by area, fifth-largest country by area and the List of countries and dependencies by population ...

, the

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and the United States, in addition to representatives to Haiti from the

Organization of American States The Organization of American States (OAS or OEA; ; ; ) is an international organization founded on 30 April 1948 to promote cooperation among its member states within the Americas. Headquartered in Washington, D.C., United States, the OAS is ...

and the United Nations, called on Ariel Henry to take charge as the head of the government. On 19 July, Joseph announced in an interview with ''

The Washington Post ''The Washington Post'', locally known as ''The'' ''Post'' and, informally, ''WaPo'' or ''WP'', is an American daily newspaper published in Washington, D.C., the national capital. It is the most widely circulated newspaper in the Washington m ...

'' that he would be stepping down soon and handing over power to Henry, whom he had met with many times in the past week to resolve the dispute, but expected that he will remain the foreign minister in that government. He added that he was doing it to honor the late President Moïse's final wish. Upon being questioned by ''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...

'', he rejected that he was stepping down due to international pressure. Henry was sworn in on 20 July, while Joseph retained the post of foreign minister.

Post-premiership

Joseph was replaced as foreign minister by Jean Victor Généus on 25 November 2021. He has defied Acting President Ariel Henry, instigating upheaval against the Haitian administration. On 3 September 2022, Joseph launched his own political party named ''Les Engagés pour le Développement'' ("Committed to Development"). On 7 September, Joseph was declared ''

persona non grata In diplomacy, a ' (PNG) is a foreign diplomat that is asked by the host country to be recalled to their home country. If the person is not recalled as requested, the host state may refuse to recognize the person concerned as a member of the diplo ...

'' by the

Dominican Republic The Dominican Republic is a country located on the island of Hispaniola in the Greater Antilles of the Caribbean Sea in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean. It shares a Maritime boundary, maritime border with Puerto Rico to the east and ...

and is not allowed to enter that country. On 19 February 2024, Joseph, along with Jovenel's widow

and former police chief Léon Charles, were indicted by a judge in connection to Jovenel Moïse's assassination. Joseph and Martine were charged with complicity and criminal association, while Charles was charged with murder and attempted murder. It is alleged that Joseph and Martine Moïse conspired together to replace Moïse with Joseph. Joseph denied the accusation and accused Ariel Henry of orchestrating the case for political reasons. He said that Henry was "the main beneficiary" of the assassination.Martine Moïse: Wife of Haiti's murdered president charged over his killing
, BBC

Notes

References

, - {{DEFAULTSORT:Joseph, Claude 21st-century Haitian politicians Foreign ministers of Haiti Living people Long Island University alumni Prime ministers of Haiti The New School alumni Year of birth missing (living people) University of Connecticut faculty