Haiti: Protests calling for Martelly resignation intensify

An anti-government protest in Port-au-Prince, Haiti has become more intense following the shooting of three people.

The protesters were calling for the resignation of Haitian President Michel Martelly.

Martelly was supposed to call elections in 2011 for a majority of Senate seats, the entire Chamber of Deputies and local offices. But he has not done so because the Senate has yet to approve an electoral law authorizing the vote.

The Chamber of Deputies has approved the legislation, but it is being held up in the Senate by six senators who have blocked a vote, arguing it is unconstitutional and favors the administration.

Martelly administration officials blame the standoff on the six senators, insisting that the government wants to hold the elections but can’t because the lawmakers are blocking the vote by preventing a quorum.

The anti-government demonstration took place on a national holiday to mark the 211th anniversary of the 1803 battle when French colonial forces were defeated by an indigenous army after an 11-year struggle for emancipation from centuries of slavery.