Haiti: Martelly marks 3 years in power amid protests

Haiti President Michel Martelly. PHOTO/File

Clashes between protesters and police marked Haitian President Michel Martelly’s 3 years in power Wednesday.

While Prime Minister Laurent Lamothe appealed for calm, demonstrators denounced perceived abuse of power and corruption in country.

Calling for Martelly’s resignation, opponents gathered near the presidential palace in the capital Port-au-Prince, where supporters of the singer-turned-head of state had assembled for a concert.

“We cannot go back to the politics of the past. We need to create jobs and change the living conditions for the population,” Lamothe said as he urged restraint.

The Martelly administration has committed to holding long overdue legislative and municipal elections in late October. The date was set after an agreement brokered by the country’s Catholic Church. However, Haiti’s main opposition parties have rejected the deal.

Bitter disagreements between politicians have threatened already painfully slow reconstruction following a devastating earthquake in January 2010 that killed around a quarter of a million people. Martelly has faced protests over the slow pace of rebuilding.

Source: Newswires