One of the political blocs represented on Haiti’s U.S.-backed transition council says it is recalling its representative on the ruling entity tasked with bringing political stability to the country.

The Collective of January 30 Political Parties is represented by Edgard Leblanc Fils, a former senator who has been serving as president of the Transitional Presidential Council since it was established with the support of the United States and the regional Caribbean Community bloc, CARICOM, amid a violent insurgency by armed gangs.

On Monday, Leblanc was supposed to transfer power to another member as part of a rotating presidency in which four of the council’s voting members share power until the end of the transition.

Hours ahead of the 2:30 p.m. Monday ceremony, however, the Collective of January 30 issued a statement saying it cannot support the power-sharing deal. The group cited the fact that among those supporting the transfer of power are three council members accused of corruption in a bank bribery scandal.

In an address to the nation that aired hours earlier, Leblanc accused his fellow council members of risking the credibility of the transition by supporting a resolution last Friday that removes two of the three accused members from the leadership helm of the presidential transition, but seemingly keeps them on the council for the moment.

“I cannot accept to participate in any process that will further weaken and devalue the country’s justice [system] and at the same time send a bad signal to the population,” Leblanc said. “The path taken by the great majority of the council is not good. It risks throwing us into instability, worsening the situation of the country and extending the transition period. It’s a pity.”

Leblanc did not announce his resignation in his address and it’s unclear if he will heed the request of the bloc that named him to the transition. Also unclear is whether other members of the presidential council will show up for Monday’s ceremony. Increasingly, the parties represented on the council have been losing control of their representatives.

On Friday, Leblanc joined Smith Augustin in voting against the resolution. Leblanc was trying to remain as head of the council. Augustin, a former ambassador to the Dominican Republic, was next in line to replace him. However, Augustin is among the three council members accused of corruption. A report issued last week by the country’s Anti-Corruption Unit said its investigation into allegations that three council members tried to shake down the head of a state-owned commercial bank for more than $750,000 found evidence of abuse of office, bribery and corruption by the three men. The agency has asked for criminal charges to be pursued.

The accused council members — Augustin, Louis Gérald Gilles and Emmanuel Vertilaire —have maintained their innocence and refused to step down despite requests from political parties and an effort by CARICOM to have them resign and replaced. Diplomatic sources say the way the council was set up doesn’t provide any avenue for the members to be replaced other than through their resignation.

Critics, including political parties involved in the transition, say the scandal is tarnishing the credibility of the ruling body, tasked with restoring law and order, and risks endangering the transition, which is supposed to come to an end with the swearing-in of a new elected president on February 7, 2026.

As part of the resolution that passed on Friday, Leblanc is supposed to be replaced by Leslie Voltaire, a former minister and representative of Fanmi Lavalas, the party headed by former President Jean-Bertrand Aristide. He would later be followed in the presidency by Fritz Alphonse Jean and Laurent St. Cyr. St. Cyr, who represents the private sector on the council, would take the spot of Gilles.

The Collective’s objections over the Friday resolution mirror that of the Montana Accord, a group of civil society organizations and parties represented by Jean on the council.

In its note, the Collective of January 30 Political Parties said it “vigorously protests against this desperate attempt to rehabilitate” the accused council members and calls for them to step aside while the allegations are dealt with by the courts.

The bloc said it plans to enter into talks with other signatories of an April 3 accord that officially established the transition council “to determine a stable, responsible governance forum that can guarantee the success of the transition process…and its duration.”

Prime Minister Garry Conille, who has tried to stay out of the fray but got into a heated argument last week with Gilles, who accused him of being behind the corruption investigation, is currently not in Haiti. On Saturday, he left the country with Foreign Minister Dominique Dupuy on a trip to Kenya and then the United Arab Emirates.

Conille’s travels came just days after an armed gang slaughtered more than 70 Haitians in the lower Artibonite region in the town of Pont-Sondé. While the attack has raised questions about the effectiveness of the Kenya-led Multinational Security Support mission, Conille said the purpose of his trip was to discuss with Kenyan President William Ruto the arrival of the next contingent of police officers as part of the deployment. Ruto, who visited Port-au-Prince last month, said he plans to deploy 300 cops this month and another 300 in November.

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