Port-au-Prince: A month after taking power as Haiti's interim leader, Jocelerme Privert unveiled a new electoral council which will help conduct the country's upcoming presidential election.
Privert, who made the announcement during a televised speech on Sunday, also pledged to tackle the country's political insecurity.
But he said that since coming to power on February 14, Haiti, which is in the midst of a fragile political situation, has experienced relative stability with virtually no street demonstrations.
Privert took power following the departure of president Michel Martelly, who left office even though a vote to choose his successor was postponed over fears of violence.
"Conducting elections in this environment is a challenge," Privert said Sunday.
"The nine members of the electoral council have already been chosen," he added. "Revival of the electoral process is essential for a definitive resolution to the institutional and electoral crisis."
Under an agreement signed hours before Martelly's departure, the interim president, who was chosen by parliament, was slated to serve for up to 120 days.
The agreement proposed a new presidential election on April 24, with a new president to be installed on May 14.
Haiti is the poorest country in the Americas, still struggling to get back on its feet after being hobbled by a devastating 2010 earthquake and now plunged into a drawn-out electoral crisis.
AFP
