Haitians Protest Arrival of 'Interfering' OAS

Editado por Lena Valverde Jordi
2016-02-01 15:42:04

Pinterest
Telegram
Linkedin
WhatsApp

Port-au-Prince, February 1 (RHC-teleSUR) -- Thousands of people filled the streets of Haiti’s capital of Port-au-Prince once again Sunday protesting the arrival of the Organization of American States (OAS), who demonstrators say should not interfere with the country’s already contentious elections.

The term of President Michel Martelly ends Feb. 7, but after cancelling elections last Sunday the Washington-based OAS have been called in to supervise the resolution of the political crisis.

The delegates are expected to discuss how to conduct the next round of elections which have been postponed indefinitely. Opposition presidential candidates say the visit will deepen the crisis instead of resolving it.

On Wednesday, OAS approved a resolution on sending a special mission to Haiti in order to moderate the ongoing conflict between the opposition and the government, one week before the president is due to leave office.

Since the elections last Sunday were canceled at the last minute, current President Michel Martelly asked the Washington-based organization to send a mission in order to avoid a power vacuum and to “preserve democratic rule."

Martelly supported his request with the Inter American Democratic Charter, as article 17 states that when the “government of a member state considers that its democratic political institutional process or its legitimate exercise of power is at risk, it may request assistance from the Secretary General or the Permanent Council for the strengthening and preservation of its democratic system."

Although the resolution was officially approved “by consensus” without a vote, during the four-hour debate Venezuela, Nicaragua, Ecuador, Brazil and Honduras opposed the idea that the OAS made a decision that day, as most Latin American leaders were attending the CELAC Summit in Quito, Ecuador.



Comentarios


Deja un comentario
Todos los campos son requeridos
No será publicado
captcha challenge
up