Haiti Presidential Runoff Scheduled On January 24

The second round of presidential elections in Haiti will be held on Jan. 24, President Michel Martelly confirmed.

On Dec. 21, the country’s Provisional Electoral Council postponed the second round of presidential elections in the country for January amid fraud allegations. Originally, the second round was scheduled for December 27.

Last week, President Michel Martelly announced that the elections should be held before Jan. 17 to meet the Feb. 7 constitutional deadline for the handover of power from one elected president to another.

On Monday, Haiti’s Provisional Electoral Council (CEP) said in a letter to the president that it was hardly possible to organize the presidential runoff on Jan. 17, as 12 days of preparation “would not be sufficient.”

CEP head Pierre-Louis Opont said in a letter to the president, dated Jan. 5, that he could “guarantee” that the second round of elections would be held on January 24.

Martelly confirmed on Wednesday that he had received the letter and issued a presidential decree announcing the January 24 runoff.

The first round of Haiti presidential elections took place on Oct. 26, with Jovenel Moise from Haitian Tet Kale Party and Jude Celestin from Alternative League for Haitian Progress and Empowerment gaining nearly 33 and 25 percent of the votes, respectively. (PNA/Sputnik) BNB/CDN