Haiti President seeks help from OAS to resolve electoral crisis

Haitian President Michel Martelly is seeking external help to resolve the dispute surrounding the country’s elections.

A runoff poll scheduled for Sunday January 24, 2016 was postponed indefinitely following violent street protests.

President Martelly has made a request to the Organisation of American States (OAS) to send a high-level mission among others to meet with the permanent council to discuss the current political crisis.

Jamaicaobserver.com quoted Haiti’s representative to the OAS, Ambassador Bocchit Edmond as saying: “Haiti remains convinced that election is the only way forward to guarantee democracy,” adding that President Martelly wanted the high level OAS mission to help Haiti reach some agreement regarding the polls.

He said failure to do so could lead to the French speaking country going into a political abyss “that would truly be chaotic”.

Opposition candidate Jude Celestin has said he would boycott the runoff even though his name remains on the ballot.

The provisional electoral council is yet to set a date for the postponed election raising questions about whether an interim government will take over from President Martelly when his tenure expires on February 7.