Haiti's outgoing senate chief to continue holding sessions as term expires
Prime Minister Ariel Henry took office following Moise's murder on promises to promptly hold elections, but that vote was also suspended after an August earthquake and no new date has been set.
The outgoing leader of Haiti's senate on Monday said he would continue to lead sessions despite his term in office expiring, amid continued weakening of state institutions following last year's assassination of President Jovenel Moise. Joseph Lambert, who led the senate for one year, said Haiti must hold elections in 2022 to restore state institutions whose legitimacy is increasingly in question.
"We are living in a vacuum, with no constituted power, everything has become illegal," Lambert told reporters. "In any case, 2022 will be an election year." Haiti was supposed to hold elections in 2020 to form a new legislature, but the vote was suspended due to disputes about the legitimacy of the elections council.
The Caribbean nation was left in a political power vacuum when Moise in July was assassinated in a nighttime raid on his home. Prime Minister Ariel Henry took office following Moise's murder on promises to promptly hold elections, but that vote was also suspended after an August earthquake and no new date has been set. The country remains without an elections council.
"Our priority is elections," said a spokesman for the prime minister's office when asked about Lambert's comments. "We need to create the (elections council) first to have credible, fair and clean elections."
(This story has not been edited by Devdiscourse staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
- READ MORE ON:
- Haiti
- Caribbean
- Ariel Henry
- senate
- Lambert
- Jovenel
- Moise
- Joseph Lambert
ALSO READ
US Senate panel chair issues subpoena in Supreme Court ethics probe
US Senate committee to hold hearing on Boeing safety culture report
US Domestic News Roundup: Kamala Harris heads to Arizona after abortion ban; US Senate panel chair issues subpoena in Supreme Court ethics probe and more
Semiautomatic firearm ban passes Colorado's House, heads to Senate
Mayorkas impeachment should be dismissed, US Senate Majority Leader Schumer says