Cheryl Mills - Haiti Observer Blog

Electoral crisis has plagued Haiti recently and President Michel Martelly was held responsible for this crisis by the Human Rights Organization during a joint press conference held 6th March 2013. President Martelly was condemned of Supreme Council of the Judiciary for manipulating the Chief Justice, Alexis Joseph. This denouncement came from heads of organizations like National Episcopal Commission for Justice and Peace, National Network for the Defense of Human Rights and Platform for Haitian Human Rights.

Chief Justice Joseph did prove that he was manipulated by the Martelly administration but his legitimacy is questioned because of his age. The Human Rights Organization asked the President to cancel the August 15, 2012 decree that appointed the electoral council's 6 members as it was against Haitian Constitution that required 9 members.

Read more →  

Election time is one of the most important affairs for every political body or institution. In Haiti, the Martelly-Lamothe administration is facing a big problem in terms of electing a new set of officials for its legislature. The country's elections were supposed to be held in November 2011, but due to the worsening rift between members of the Senate, it has yet to happen. This has resulted to the legislature short as nearly a third of the senate left with no newly-elected senators to take their places.

In early July, Haitian President Michel Martelly has given the parliament eight days to choose three officials for the Permanent Electoral Council (CEP) in hopes that the elections will be able to push through before the end of 2012. But after these eight days, the legislature has given no response to the President's request.

Read more →