The postponed presidential and legislative runoffs and elections in Haiti have finally been given a new date. According to Miami Herald, it is now set to take place on January 24, 2016. Head of the Provisional Electoral Council Pierre-Louis Opont shared the date in a letter to President Michel Martelly after the nine-member council meeting was finally dismissed. Just the day before, Opont told Martelly that it was impossible to organize the elections for January 17, and so the final date could be staged to guarantee the handover of power from one president to another in time to meet the imposed deadline for February 7.
It seems that Opont has changed his mind and decided that it can be done. Top US State Department envoys Thomas Shannon and Kenneth Merten are headed to Haiti on Wednesday to meet with him, Martelly, and presidential top bets Jovenel Moïse and Jude Célestin.
The worrying electoral process, which began unraveling this week, has worried UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon, who expressed concerns about the next week’s planned parliament inauguration.
Ban’s spokesman Stephane Dujarric said in a statement, “Parliament has not functioned since January 2015. In this regard, [the Secretary General] underlines the importance of inaugurating the new legislature within the constitutional time frame to ensure the renewal of democratic institutions and consolidate political stability in Haiti.”
Full Article: Haiti Elections Date Finally Set : Politics : Latin One.