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Haiti - Politic : Proposals of the Civil Society on the role of the Senate
28/01/2015 11:43:40

In a statement signed by 13 institutions, organizations and personalities of the Civil Society, the signatories express concern about the current political situation, which places the country according to them "totally outside the republican order and leaves full powers to executive. No functional Parliament, a decapitated Judiciary, no Prime Minister with a real legitimacy and no elected at Local Authorities," stating that "The Haitian people did not fight against the dictatorship to get there. This situation is too dangerous to leave it as is."

Faced with the new political situation, the signatories to this statement form the following proposals about the role of the Senate:

"Signature by the President of the Republic and the 10 Senators still in function of an agreement allowing the remaining third of the Senate to fill, exceptionally and until the inauguration of the 50th Legislature, of certain essential functions assigned to Parliament by the Haitian Constitution. All decisions of the ten Senators would be taken by a simple majority.

Functions considered essential :

Vote electoral law ;

Vote an amending Finance law ;

Approve, if applicable, any state of emergency that could be declared by the Executive and control the actions of the Government in the circumstances ;

Receive and review the Report on the previous Government ;

Rule on the General policy statement of the Government ;

Conduct investigationson the conduct of state affairs by the Government ;

Invite and convene the Prime Minister and the Ministers and senior officials of the state to hear them on the issues within their competence, in particular the implementation of the Budget of the Republic ;

Approve appointments provided by the Constitution: Commander of Police, Ambassadors, Board of autonomous bodies ;

Fill any necessary replacement at the Superior Court of Auditors and Administrative Disputes ;

Provide, if necessary, to the replacement of the President of the Republic, in accordance with the requirements of the Constitution ;

No further legislation will be passed, no treaty or convention will be ratified as long as the 50th Legislature is not installed ;

Regularly consult the public and various sectors of society on issues of public interest.

"
The signatories stress that "Our country lives in a special and particularly delicate institutional situation. The circumstances do not allow us to apply today the letter of the Constitution regarding the functioning of the state. However, we can through a political agreement to take in the spirit of the Constitution, the provisions necessary to avoid operating in anomie and improvisation. The country's affairs are serious issues that should not be treated casually. We have too often done in the past. [...]

We invite the President of the Republic, which in recent months has shown moderation, to continue on this path and to sign such an agreement for the greater good of the country and his own.

We strongly recommend to the 10 Senators in office, to act as statesmen, to promptly fulfill the historical responsibilities that are theirs today, rather than get bogged down in chicanery and delaying tactics without grandeur. [...]"

Statement signed by: Mgr Poulard Guire, Archdiocese of Port-au-Prince ; Mgr Duracin Zachée, Episcopal Church ; Pastor Jean Baptiste Pauris, Protestant Church ; Esperance Pierre, RNDDH ; Desroches Rosny, Civil Society Initiative ; Paultre Edouard, CONHANE ; Jabouin Luckner, GERES ; Bajeux Sylvie, CEDH ; Augustin Jinaud, LANSE-HAITI ; Dassas Yves, JURIMÉDIA ; Jean Gédéon, CARDH and Jacques James, ICEC-Haïti

HL/ HaitiLibre