UN voices deep concerns about new delay of elections in Haiti

UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon on Monday said he noted with "deep concern" that the agreed upon date of April 24 set in the Feb. 5 agreement for holding elections in Haiti has not been met and that no alternate electoral calendar has been announced.

"The secretary-general reiterates his strong support for the completion, without further delay, of the 2015 elections and calls on all Haitian actors to ensure the prompt return to constitutional order, as the country can ill afford a period of prolonged transitional governance while facing major socio-economic and humanitarian challenges," said a statement issued here by Ban's spokesman.

"The secretary-general notes the intended establishment of a commission to evaluate and verify the elections held in 2015," the statement said. "He stresses the need to conclude the process with the required urgency."

The secretary-general reaffirmed the commitment of the United Nations to extend its full support to the Haitian people in the fulfilment of their democratic aspirations.

Haitian President Jocelerme Privert said Sunday that Haiti's repeatedly postponed presidential election may not happen until October, after street protests erupted on the day when the small Caribbean nation missed an agreed date for a run-off vote.

Since the first round of presidential elections in October 2015, during which Jude Celestin, the opposition candidate, finished second in a field of 54 candidates to ruling party candidate, Jovenel Moise, Celestin has claimed that the government of President Michel Martelly is manipulating results in favor of Moise.

Haiti has been mired in a deep political crisis since last year, which forced Prime Minister Laurent Lamothe to resign and left Parliament in limbo after parliamentary elections were delayed. Endit