UN chief hails agreement in Haiti to avoid power vacuum
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E-mail Xinhua, February 8, 2016
UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon on Sunday welcomed a political agreement reached by Haitian stakeholders in a bid to install a transitional government that keeps the small island country from plunging into an immediate power vacuum.
In a statement issued here by his spokesman, the secretary-general said that the agreement "provides for immediate arrangements to preserve the institutional continuity of the country as well as a roadmap for the swift conclusion of the ongoing electoral cycle."
"Acknowledging that the agreement is in the spirit of the Haitian Constitution, the secretary-general calls on all actors concerned to implement it in order to ensure the democratic transfer of power to elected officials," the statement said.
The secretary-general encouraged all Haitian stakeholders to continue engaging in constructive dialogue to guide their country to a stable and democratic future, which is essential for tackling the challenges facing Haiti, the statement said.
"The secretary-general encourages all actors to promote measures aimed at fostering calm and stability," it said.
"The secretary-general reaffirms the commitment of the United Nations to extend its full support to the Haitian people in the fulfillment of their democratic aspirations," the statement added.
Under the new agreement, parliament will elect an interim president for a four-month term. Haitian President Michel Martelly's five-year term comes to an end on Sunday.
On Jan. 22, Haiti's electoral authority postponed presidential elections slated for Sunday citing security reasons.
The Provisional Electoral Council (CEP) said serious incidents in the past hours in five Haitian departments, including attacks on at least two polling stations, led it to take the decision.
Haiti, a country of 10 million that shares the island of Hispaniola with the Dominican Republic, held the first round of legislative elections on Aug. 9, followed by the first round of presidential elections and second round of legislative polls on Oct. 25.
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