Brussels, 21/04/2011 (Agence Europe) - With publication of the final results of the second round of voting, the EU has hailed the general election in Haiti as a success which bodes well for the stability, reconstruction and economic recovery of a country devastated by an earthquake on 11 January last year.
“I congratulate Monsieur Michel Joseph Martelly on his election as President of the republic and all the parliamentarians who will sit in the Senate or the Lower House”, says EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Defence Policy Catherine Ashton in a statement published on Thursday 21 April. She adds: “The success of the electoral process is a major step in the current phase of the democratic transition of the country which should bring increased political stability and improved governance in the interest of the Haitian people as a whole. The swift setting up of the new Haitian authorities which have just been democratically elected by the Haitian people is now a key condition for accelerating Haiti's reconstruction and recovery process”. She gave assurances that the EU “will continue to support Haiti in its efforts to promote democracy, the rule of law and the development of the country”. (A.N./transl.rt)