Haiti parliamentary polls put off

An initial round of parliamentary elections, set for 20 November, will be delayed some weeks due to technical problems, Haitian Prime Minister Gerard Latortue says. 

Prime Minister Latortue announced the postponement

“We have problems, we have considerable delays in the logistics and finalisation of the lists of candidates,” Latortue told reporters on Monday.

The date of the elections will be pushed back three weeks.

“The first round of the presidential and legislative elections will take place the second week of December,” he said.

However, he did not give a specific date, allowing the Provisional Electoral Council to announce an election day. In Haiti, elections are held on Sunday.

Latortue said that in coming days, the council of ministers will name a manager for the election council, as well as nine members of the institution that acts as an administrative council.

New president

The prime minister gave the presidential candidates assurances that 7 February would remain unchanged as the date to inaugurate the new president.

“The president of the republic and I are determined to assure the transition of power when the term ends,” he said.

It was the fourth time the authorities had changed the date of the general elections since the beginning of the year.

Source: AFP