Showdown between Upper and Lower Chambers of Parliament in Haiti

Senator Simon Desras has forced the issue with the Chamber of Deputies (COD) whether or not Haiti will hold elections later this year. The conflict between the upper and lower chambers of Parliament centers on the selection of Electoral Council delegates.

The two chambers had brokered a deal a maximum of nine Parliament members would research the rules and procedures governing the Electoral Council's role in electoral politics. The Senate chose four senators, leaving the COD the option to choose four or five members to comprise the commission. Instead the COD chose nine members of the lower chamber, creating a firestorm.

Desras has threatened to call off the elections if the COD does not reduce its appointees to four. The COD has 24 hours to cooperate with the request. But they are refusing, claiming the separation of chambers allows them to set their own agenda.

All Senate members are in agreement on the issue. Senator Jeanty, one of four chosen for the commission, declared he would refuse to serve on a commission that was not evenly divided between the two chambers.

The Senate is accusing President Martelly of being behind the COD's outrageous behavior. They also charge him of mis-using his executive powers to bypass the Senate's authority to make certain political appointments, and his refusal to terminate them once the impropriety was discovered. They want President Josue Pierre Louis removed as well from the Permanent Electoral Council due to involvement in a sex scandal.

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