Off the wire
• 3rd LD: At least 2 killed in Russian mine explosion  • Spanish PM asks for unity against jihadist threat  • Syrian army helps over 1,000 flee rebel stronghold near Damascus  • Russia allows Ukrainian refugees to work freely: official  • Gaps still remain in nuclear talks: Iranian nuclear negotiator  • Standings of WCBA League  • Over 20,000 rally in Russia's Ingushetia against Prophet Muhammad cartoons  • Lock-up shares worth 71 bln yuan eligible for trade  • Roundup: Chinese FM's Africa visit strengthens ties, cooperation  • Two matches of Willem II manipulated by gambling syndicate  
You are here: 　 Home

Haitian president swears in political opponent as new PM

Xinhua, January 17, 2015 Adjust font size:

Haitian President Michel Martelly swore in Evans Paul, a moderate political opponent, as new prime minister late Friday in a bid to form a consensus government.

Paul took office during a ceremony held in Haitian capital Port-au-Prince to fill the shoes of Laurent Lamothe, who was forced to resign on Dec. 14, 2014, by repeated anti-government protests.

Martelly, who has been ruling by decree since this week, also promised to form a consensus government within the next 48 hours to tackle the current political crisis.

In a nationally televised address, Martelly said "the weakness of our institutions and in particular the failure of the ... legislature cannot and should not last. It is urgent to correct these deficiencies as soon as possible because the big loser in this crisis remains our Haitian nation."

Also on Friday, protesters took to the streets demanding Martelly to step down and accusing him of letting the parliament to expire in order to rule by decree.

Haiti has not held legislative or municipal elections for three years, leaving the parliament without a quorum as terms expired. Two thirds of the Senate and all members of the Chamber of Deputies ended their terms on Jan. 12.

In March 2014, Haitian political forces signed a pact to allow for legislative and municipal elections in October. However, the agreement was rejected by six senators who refused to approve an amendment to the election law.

Haiti has been grappling with a protracted political crisis featuring complicated strife between political parties, severe social security problems and public discontent with the government. Endi