Thursday, Audain Fils Bernadel, the new Minister of the Interior and Territorial Communities, accompanied by the members of his Cabinte, held his first working meeting with the Executive Committee of the National Federation of Mayors of Haiti (FENAMH) which brought together of the presidents of the departmental associations of mayors of the country.

During this meeting, Minister Bernadel invited the mayors to fully assume their role and to contribute to meeting the basic needs of the population. On the other hand, he insisted on the need for all mayors, without exception, to update their financial records to be submitted to the audit of the Superior Court of Accounts and Administrative Litigation CSC/CA, with a view to the obtaining discharge from their management of public funds.

In addition, Bernadel took the opportunity to announce certain provisions of its administration aiming to settle progressively and in the short term, the arrears of allowances due to the mayors and the Councilors of Administration of the Communal Sections (CASEC) as well as the session costs of the Administration Communal Sections (ASEC) and city delegates. He also pledged to advocate at the highest level of the State to guarantee local elected officials access to the investment funds provided for in the national budget.

The presidents of the departmental associations of mayors asked in particular for a reform of the fields of competence of the elected officials, to remove all the confusion at the level of the attributions of the various local authorities, often at the base of conflicts of jurisdiction.

Discussions also focused on the need to come together to strengthen the preparation of the population with regard to the threat of the introduction of Covid-19 on national territory. The mayors, under the direction of the Ministry have agreed to develop prevention and awareness-raising actions by commune, intended to prevent and protect their population from the spread of Covid-19.

HL/ HaitiLibre