Haiti president steps down without successor in place

Haiti delayed the start of Carnival celebrations on Sunday because of fears of violence from anti-government protesters, as President Michel Martelly ended his term with nobody elected to replace him.

Mr Martelly is constitutionally barred from seeking re-election but has thrown his weight behind Jovenel Moise, a banana exporter who won the first round of the presidential election in November.

A second round of presidential and partial legislative elections, initially set for Dec.27, was postponed indefinitely, preventing Martelly from handing power to an elected successor on February 7 as required under the constitution.

A presidential runoff due to be held last month was scrapped after opposition candidate Jude Celestin threatened to boycott the vote over allegations of fraud in the first round, and protesters took to the streets in force.

Martelly signed the agreement with National Assembly President Jocelerme Privert and Vice President Cholzer Chancy.

Privert himself is among the “serious candidates”, according to several lawmakers, along with high-ranking Judge Jules Cantave. Haitian Prime Minister Evans Paul remained in office for the time being while awaiting a provisional president to be chosen by Parliament in the coming days. The run-offs are now scheduled for April 24, and the new president to be sworn in on May 14.

“Personally, I think this time frame is short: 120 days to accomplish all that will be hard, but I hope that the sense of urgency will benefit us”, said lawmaker Jerry Tardieu.

In a Sunday statement, U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon urged Haitian authorities to implement the accord “in order to ensure the democratic transfer of power to elected officials”.

Madistin said the agreement reflected the position of part of the global community and Haiti’s ruling class.

Haiti remains the poorest country in the Americas during the ongoing political turmoil. The political instability has also been further increasing inflation, which affect most people in the country, as 60 percent of Haitians live under the poverty line.