michel martelly - Haiti Observer Blog

There seems to be no end to the election nightmare taking place in Haiti as, yet again, the nation's leader, President Michel Martelly, has made an announcement detailing the further delay of the already years' long overdue elections. It was news that was, understandably, met with great dissent.

On Sunday, October 26, 2014, the president announced the postponement of the legislative and municipal elections that were originally slated for 3 years ago, ironically on the same day the elections should have been held. Martelly, failing to name a date for the elections, could only say that it would be "as soon as possible" - news that didn't appeal to the masses, as the violent protests that followed showed. Martelly, in a statement to explain the decision, stated the reason for the further delay being the inability to assure political stability.

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On Tuesday, October 14, 2014, the Haitian President Michel Martelly welcomed the former Haitian President René Préval at his office to discuss about holding the coming legislative and local elections in the country within a shortest possible time. President Martelly invited ex- President René Préval to ask about his advice on handling the ongoing the political situations efficiently. He considers President Preval as an experienced politician who confronted a number difficult situations; the only president in the country who has completed two terms as the President of the nation. Meeting a personality like him was important because he was an expert negotiator who managed to reach many consensus under difficult situations. As per the President's statement, their discussion had revolved around the coming election, education, agriculture, reforestation, environment, and many other things. The former President Preval was flown to the President's palace by a helicopter from a remote northern town. He said he has advised Martelly of the current political situation and hopes his advice will be helpful in solving the problems that the country is facing.

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Haitian President Michel Martelly spoke at a recent General Assembly about the beefing up of the United Nations and the enlargement of the Security Council. Held over a few days in the latter part of last month, the assembly was the 69th Annual General Debate and featured the discussion of such relevant topics as the aforementioned as well as diseases, and the addition of the new permanent members.

The Haitian President spoke on September 26, 2014, the third day of the event. In his address, he said the Organization had to strengthen its effectiveness and seek aid in the form of resources in order to fulfill its mandate.He stated that the organization's credibility, as well as its legitimacy, depended on its ability to dispatch aid quickly to those in need, a characteristics that has been severely questioned following the slow response to the current Ebola threat in West Africa.

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President Michel Martelly and Parliament reached tentative agreement

This political accord between President Michel Martelly, Simon Dieuseul Desras and Jacques Stevenson Thimoléon was announced yesterday, Monday December 29, 2014.

In the agreement, the terms of the Senate and the Chamber of Deputies which are supposed to end on January 12, 2014 would be extended only if a new electoral law is passed first.

The terms of the deputies would be extended until April 24 2015 and senators, until Sept. 9.

Following the forced resignation of Former Prime Minister Laurent Lamothe, President Martelly elected former political activist and mayor of the nation's capital Evans Paul as Haiti's new Prime Minister. The approval of this choice of candidate by parliament will go together with an extension of the terms for the Chamber of Deputies and the Senate, to April 24, 2015 and September 9, 2015 respectively. Without this extension, the country's parliament, and essentially its government, would dissolve, allowing the President to rule by decree before elections in the latter part of the year.

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On Monday, September 22, 2014, the Haitian President Michel Martelly met the representatives of civil groups to break the political deadlock that has delayed country's legislative and local elections for about past three years amid a slow recovery from the 2010 earthquake. In the last June, the President had said that the first round of elections for 20 senators, 112 deputies, will be held on October 26, 2014. The municipal vote will take place two days later. Disagreements between the government and the opposition have further prevented the selection of 140 city officials, 1,140 assembly members and community representatives. Recently, on September 22, the Haitian Prime Minister Laurent Lamothe has said that his country will hold long-overdue elections no later than early next year provided some opposition lawmakers do not stand on the way during their tenure whose mandates expire in January 2015. The Haitian government is facing mounting pressure from United Nation and U.S.A to organize election before the terms of ten Senators get expired in the middle of January 2015-- because it is the time when the Parliament will get dissolved leaving a legislative vacuum and the country is ruled by President Decree.

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Do you think Prime Minister Laurent Lamothe is really on his way out?

As it has been the case many times in the past, tomorrow, December 12, will be yet another very important day for Haiti. This is the day when President Michel Martelly will make his final decision known on the various recommendations of the Presidential Consultative Commission.

The most important decision he will have to make however will be whether or not he will keep his good friend Laurent Lamothe as Prime Minister.

The Presidential Consultative Commission who recommended the resignation of Prime Minister Lamothe also proposed a roadmap to have it done sooner than later. Based on the recommendations, Laurent lamothe would only have 8 days lest before he resigns or by no later than December 17, 2014.

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President Martelly thanks Prime Minister Lamothe for his Service as he leaves Office

Haitian President Martelly spoke to the nation from the National Palace, concerning the Consultative Commission's (CC) recommendations. They called for Martelly to ask Prime Minister Lamothe to tender his resignation. Lamothe was present as well as an Organization of American States delegate, and Canadian and U.S. Ambassadors.
Before addressing Lamothe's pending resignation, Martelly expressed his gratitude to his cabinet ministers for aiding in the development of the infrastructure in the education and agriculture sectors. He pointed to his achievement in forming the Provisional Electoral Council, a step toward holding general elections. He also cited the fact Parliament failed to appoint three representatives, according to the El Rancho Agreement. It also failed to do its job to pass the electoral law, so elections could be held.

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A forced divorce between President Michel Martelly and his Prime Minister Laurent Lamothe seems to be unavoidable. One of the propositions that is included in the report that will be made public tomorrow by Haiti advisory committee created by Michel Martelly is the resignation of the Prime Minister.

Although it doesn't guarantee that this action will resolve the crisis between the government and the opposition who have been getting some strength and success in organizing mass protest, at this point the government doesn't have too many options left before January 12, 2014.

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Will he rule by Decree come January 2015?

President Michel Martelly, through General Secretary Yves Germain, sent a third invitation to political parties and radical opposition groups to meet and discuss a way to resolve the pre-electoral crisis. Martelly scheduled a meeting with the groups at the Karibe Convention Center and urged them ". . . to extend the new invitation to Fanmi Lavalas."

Five opposition party leaders have acknowledged receipt of the latest invitation: Levaillant Jeune of INITE; Jean Victor of MOPOD; Jonas Coffy of Ayisyen pou Ayiti; Rosemond Pradel of Fusion; and Dr. Rudolph Prudent of Kontra Pep La. They will need to confer with each other before agreeing to meet Martelly.

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As I have been told, if you try one time you don't succeed, try again. If you try a second time you don't succeed, you should try a third time. That is the case with the executive branch of government in Haiti and the opposition. The opposition has so far refused to seat down with President Martelly to find a solution to the electoral crisis

The six opposition parties who now seem to have the upper hand as January 12, 2015 approaches wants the discussions to go beyond current election. Levaillant Louis Jeune for INITE, Jean André Victor for MOPOD, Jonas Coffy for Ayisyen pou Ayiti, Rosemond Pradel for Fusion, Dr. Rudolph Prudent for Kontra Pèp La, all want everything to be included in the discussion, including the resignation of Presiden Michel Martelly.

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