Haiti's President Michel Martelly and national lawmakers struck a last-minute deal late Sunday to hold new elections by late this year, defusing a political crisis that had the nation on edge.
The sitting legislature in the impoverished Caribbean nation was to reach the end of its mandate on Monday, and no date had been set for elections, making a perilous political vacuum possible.
Protesters accuse Martelly of tacitly allowing the legislature to expire in order to rule by decree, while he accuses the opposition of blocking an electoral law that would allow a vote.
But late Sunday -- just hours before the country is to mark the fifth anniversary of the earthquake that left some 300,000 people dead and devastated much of the capital -- the president and lawmakers finally reached a long-term agreement.
Martelly and lawmakers agreed to have elections organized before the end of 2015 for two thirds of the Senate and deputies, as well as for president.
Separately, to improve faith in the system, a new nine-member electoral council will be created including representatives of the Catholic church and Protestant churches, as well as the local voodoo belief system, farmers' associations, women's and business groups, unions, the media and higher education.
Neither the government nor political parties are to be part of the electoral council, both sides agreed.
Meanwhile, a new consensus government is supposed to be set up to create the conditions needed for new, inclusive elections to be held.
Haiti’s President Michel Martelly and national lawmakers struck a last-minute deal late Sunday to hold new elections by late this year, defusing a political crisis that had the nation on edge.
The sitting legislature in the impoverished Caribbean nation was to reach the end of its mandate on Monday, and no date had been set for elections, making a perilous political vacuum possible.
Protesters accuse Martelly of tacitly allowing the legislature to expire in order to rule by decree, while he accuses the opposition of blocking an electoral law that would allow a vote.
But late Sunday — just hours before the country is to mark the fifth anniversary of the earthquake that left some 300,000 people dead and devastated much of the capital — the president and lawmakers finally reached a long-term agreement.
Martelly and lawmakers agreed to have elections organized before the end of 2015 for two thirds of the Senate and deputies, as well as for president.
Separately, to improve faith in the system, a new nine-member electoral council will be created including representatives of the Catholic church and Protestant churches, as well as the local voodoo belief system, farmers’ associations, women’s and business groups, unions, the media and higher education.
Neither the government nor political parties are to be part of the electoral council, both sides agreed.
Meanwhile, a new consensus government is supposed to be set up to create the conditions needed for new, inclusive elections to be held.
