Haiti: New Deal Between Martelly and Lawmakers To end Political Crisis

Haiti’s president Michel Martelly reached a deal with lawmakers to extend parliament’s mandate and hold legislative elections by April 2015 to avoid a political vacuum next month, an official told reporters Tuesday.

The agreement was signed Monday night between Martelly and the two presidents of parliament and extends the mandate of the Chamber of Deputies until April 2015 and the Senate until September 2015, according the official who asked not to be named.

The parliament’s mandate was set to expire on January 12, which would have left Martelly to rule by decree, a prospect that has sparked opposition protests in the Caribbean nation in recent weeks.

The deal was reached between the president, the judiciary and the parliament, and Martelly asked lawmakers to pass the deal before the January 12 deadline.

He urged newly appointed prime minister Evans Paul to form a consensus government capable of “inspiring confidence in all political actors in general and in those who participate in the electoral process in particular,” according to the agreement.

Haiti has been mired in political crisis for 3 years over its failure to hold long-delayed municipal and legislative elections.

Former prime minister Laurent Lamothe resigned this month, following repeated calls for him to step down amid the political impasse.

His resignation had been widely expected after Martelly said Lamothe was ready to leave “to help find a solution” to the crisis.

Source: AFP