MOSCOW, Dec. 14 (PNA/Sputnik) — Haiti’s Prime Minister quit his post on Sunday amid violent anti-government protests over long-delayed local and national elections in the country.
In a televised address to the nation, Prime Minister Laurent Lamothe said he quit the post “with the sense of an accomplished duty.”
Haiti’s President Michel Martelly was to call a general election in 2011. However, the vote has since been postponed with no agreement on the legal framework for the elections reached between the government and the opposition.
A new wave of protests began on Friday demanding the resignation of both the prime minister and the president. A commission set up to deal with the electoral impasse had also called on Lamothe to resign.
According to the BBC, Haiti’s President Martelly said he accepted the commission’s findings and would hold talks with government officials on Monday. If no agreement is reached by January 12, the Haitian parliament will be dissolved.
The opposition politicians accused Martelly of plotting to rule by decree. The Haitian government has dismissed the accusations, claiming that the opposition was encouraging the electoral stalemate in order to extend their own time in office. (PNA/Sputnik)