Haitian legislators on Tuesday (June 21) delayed a vote on whether to extend the mandate of interim President Jocelerme Privert.
Dozens of demonstrators supporting the interim government of interim President Jocelerme Privert protested outside a heavily guarded National Assembly. Some reports indicated that some legislators could not reach the building because of the protesters. Other reports said legislators simply did not show up.
The Caribbean nation held a first-round vote in October, but a second-round run-off was postponed several times after losing candidates alleged fraud. Privert was chosen as an interim leader when the last president left office without a successor.
The electoral council accepted a recommendation in early June to scrap the first-round results after a commission found evidence of fraud and set new dates for a fresh first round to be held on Oct. 9, with a run-off vote on Jan. 8.
Privert, has said he will stay in office until next year to transfer power to an elected president unless parliament rules otherwise.
But Privert has strong support in the upper house, and legislators have failed to meet at all lately, making it unlikely they will vote to remove him.
Still, there are some dissenters.
“President Privert and Prime Minister Enex have to leave power. And with a political consensus a government that inspires trust will be formed by all people, politicians, civilians and economists,” said legislator Raynald Exantus.
Meanwhile, emotions ran high among pro-Privert demonstrators outside the National Assembly.
“We are here to give a message to legislators who want to remove the president from power. We are telling them that we are the people, we are suffering, our children cannot go to school, we don’t have houses nor access to health care. We say that Privert has to stay in power. On October 9, with our electoral card we will vote,” said an unidentified demonstrator.
A new date for a legislative vote has not been set.
(c) Copyright Thomson Reuters 2016.
