REUTERS — Delegates from the Organisation of American States (OAS) and the Community of Latin American and Caribbean Countries (CELAC) met with Haitian officials in Port-au-Prince on Monday (February 01) to seek an end to the political crisis that has engulfed the country since presidential elections were cancelled late last month.
The visit follows a decision by the OAS to send a special mission to the Caribbean nation to oversee a transition of power and a request by Haiti for CELAC to send a delegation to gather information on the electoral situation.
Ecuador and Venezuela’s foreign ministers were among the members of the CELAC delegation who met with the Haitian leader as well as Martelly’s chosen candidate Jovenel Moise amidst the deadlock.
The move to send foreign officials to the country has prompted protests in the Haitian capital.
Martelly is due to leave office on February 7 but has no elected replacement and says he will not leave without a clear path to succession.
Haiti was due to choose Martelly’s replacement last Sunday (January 24), but the runoff vote was postponed indefinitely after opposition candidate Jude Celestin refused to participate over alleged fraud that sparked anti-government protests and violence.
The original election was disputed by a number of candidates who claim ruling party candidate Jovenel Moise did not rightfully win a place in the run-off from among the 54 original candidates. Critics claim Martelly is trying to control the election process and the nation’s democracy.
Since then, thousands of Moise supporters have taken to the streets demanding the election go ahead.
The opposition wants a short-term interim government to take control after February 7 to organise the election and have demanded Martelly leave office while some government supporters say Martelly can stay in office longer to hand over to an elected replacement.