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Haiti Braces for Mass Protests Friday

Sandra Lemaire

   Renan Toussaint,MatiadoVilme andYves Manuel in Port-au-Prince
   contributed to this report.

   WASHINGTON / PORT-AU-PRINCE-- Haiti is preparing for mass protests
   Friday after opposition groups published a statement asking citizens to
   take to the streets that day to demand the ouster of
   PresidentJovenelMoise.
   The protests are meant to coincide with national hero Jean Jacques
   Dessalines' birthday. Dessalines, a former slave and revered
   revolutionary war general, announced the country's independence from
   France in 1804. For many Haitians, he symbolizes the pinnacle of good
   leadership.
   Among the opposition's demands are the establishment of a transitional
   government, trials for all those implicated in thePetroCaribecorruption
   scandal, prosecution ofpublic officials accused of corruption, and
   organization of aNational Sovereignty Conference to discuss the
   framework for a new government.
   "Our objective is to establish a good foundation to build a new
   structure that will benefit every level of Haitian society," said Andre
   Michel, spokesman for the Democratic and Popular Sector
   (SecteurDemocratique et Populaire).

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