AMERICA/HAITI - Tension in the capital: the protest against President Martelly increases

Saturday, 9 November 2013

Port au Prince (Agenzia Fides) - A part of the Haitian population is crying out for the resignation of President Michel Martelly: this is what the protesters who recently took to the streets in Delmas and in the Haitian capital Port-au-Prince say. The protest against the government started from the suburbs and reached Petionville, the area of trade and economic elite of the country, almost never a theater of social protest. According to a note sent to Fides, the discontent was palpable for days and on 7 November over three thousand demonstrators exploded, they started throwing stones and blocking the traffic while police officers fired tear gas. The demonstration, note sources of Fides, is not an isolated incident.
The Haitian government has had to face since last September, the protests against political administration, lack of public order and the high cost of living. Haiti must make terms with a significant delay in the election of the Senate (ten lawmakers), 142 councilors and 570 representatives of the National Assembly. The elections, which were to take place at the beginning of last year, have been constantly postponed. According to Fides sources, "violence in the slums of the country has been harboring for a long time, organized by non-identified sectors. The government intends to deal with it harshly". (CE) (Agenzia Fides 09/11/2013)


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