Opposition political parties and civil society organizations held a series of coordination meetings in January 2019, working to consolidate their demands and present a unified front in the ongoing pressure campaign against President Jovenel Moïse. The meetings produced a joint platform centered on three core demands: a full independent investigation of PetroCaribe fund mismanagement, the resignation of President Moïse, and the formation of a transitional consensus government to organize new elections.
The unity of the opposition was significant because the movement had at times appeared fractured, with different groups pursuing different tactical approaches. Some favored sustained street protests and economic disruption; others preferred negotiated political solutions; still others focused on legal and judicial avenues. The January coordination effort represented an attempt to harness all of these approaches under a common strategic framework.
Political analysts noted that the opposition’s strength lay in its ability to mobilize popular anger over corruption and the cost of living, while its weakness lay in the absence of a credible alternative political figure or program that could command broad national confidence. Demanding Moïse’s departure was the easy part; articulating a convincing vision for what came next was considerably harder.
The Moïse government dismissed the opposition coordination as a political maneuver by elites who had lost power and were using popular frustration as a tool for their own ends. The war of narratives between government and opposition would continue throughout the year.