Brussels, 08/02/2016 (Agence Europe) - On Sunday 7 February, the European Union hailed the agreement concluded in Haiti on Saturday 6 February between the outgoing president, Michel Martelly, and the leaders of the national assembly and senate, guaranteeing the election of a transition president by the national assembly within five days.
In a statement published on Sunday, the day Martelly stepped down from power after his five-year term of office, the spokesperson for High Representative of the EU for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Federica Mogherini said that the EU was “ready to accompany implementation of this agreement”. The EU sees this agreement as “a step in the right direction, which through its implementation must enable the stability and continuity of the state to be guaranteed” and “ensure the continuation of the electoral process”.
The EU underlines the importance of “preserving the right of the people of Haiti to choose their government democratically and calmly in this time of change, as well as with determination and in respect of the law, rejecting any form of violence”.
The indefinite postponement of the second round of the presidential election and the partial parliamentary elections, both contested by the opposition, prevented Martelly from handing over power to a successor in this country that is now without a president. (Original version in French by Aminata Niang)