Members of Haiti’s new transition government, who are readying to officially assume office on Thursday, were hoping to take the oath of office on the grounds of the presidential palace, the symbol of power even if the once ornate building hasn’t been rebuilt after collapsing in the 2010 earthquake.

But on Monday as a delegation visited the premises in Port-au-Prince, a capital still under siege, they were hit with the harsh reality of trying to invite hundreds of guests, including foreign diplomats, into hostile territory and into temporary quarters whose last official occupant, President Jovenel Moïse, was killed nearly three years ago this July.

Broken toilets, water leaks, walls pocked with bullet holes and bullet casings on the floor were among the discoveries as the group inspected the setting and tried to stay clear of flying bullets from gangs that regularly fire at the building.

“Every now and again you heard gunshots,” said Leslie Voltaire, one of the members of the transitional presidential council, noting that some areas of the structure serving as the National Palace are still sealed off as part of the investigation into Moïse’s July 7, 2021, slaying.

Voltaire, an early supporter of taking office inside the palace, says he still believes the symbolism of being sworn into office in the official residence of the president would go a long way toward restoring hope in a country whose teeming capital has been paralyzed by armed gangs since Feb. 29.

But while he himself doesn’t have a problem with taking such a risk, he has a problem inviting others “who are not used to this kind of climate.”

“We saw, we don’t need to force this,” he said.

After reconsideration, Thursday’s swearing in of Haiti’s new nine-member transitional presidential council will now take place at another government property, Villa Accueil in Bourdon, halfway between the city of Port-au-Prince and the wealthy suburb of Pétion-Ville, which has also come under attack. The property houses the onetime office of the prime minister. It was also severely damaged in the devastating earthquake, but finally came into use last year after a near decade-long renovation was completed.

Clarence Renois, a former journalist who heads the political party Union Nationale pour l’Intégrité et la Réconciliation, UNIR, said while it would have been good to have the installation ceremony at the National Palace, he believes changing the venue is the right decision given the ongoing dangers that armed groups pose. UNIR is among the parties that are part of the political deal an international coalition of countries, led by Caribbean leaders, brokered last month in Jamaica to help Haitians forge a new political path amid the gangs’ takeover and calls for the ouster of Prime Minister Ariel Henry.

“What is most important for us in UNIR is that the country needs leaders at its helm, people who are governing and administering the country every day,” Renois said.

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