At 4 days from the end of the 50th legislature, confusion continues to reign as to the number of senators having to leave due to one hand of the variable term of office as stipulated in article 50.3 of the electoral decree of 2015:

Article 50.3 "On the occasion of senatorial elections involving both renewal and one or two vacancies within the same department, voters vote for as many candidates as there are vacancies. The candidate with the highest number of votes remains in office until the second Monday in January in the sixth year of his term. The senator elected with an immediately lower number of votes fills the vacancy produced during the mandate for the time remaining. Any eventual third elected senator, the one who comes in third position, ends the term which comes to an end first."

On the other hand, there is the ambiguity caused by the non-holding of the senatorial elections which were to be held last year, then at the end of this year to renew 1/3 of the senators each time.

If the departure of 10 senators is not in doubt: Antonio Cheramy (VERITE), Carl Murat Cantave (AAA), Evallière Beauplan (PONT), Francener Denius (VERITE, Jacques Sauveur Jean (PHTK), Nawoon Mercellus (BOUCLIER), Ricardo Pierre (Pitit Dessalin), Hervé Fourcand (PHTK), Sorel Jacinthe (INITE) and Wilfrid Gélin (PHTK) : the possibility that more than 10 senators will leave the Senate next Monday is raised by Jude Charles Faustin the Political Advisor to President Moïse who declared "The presidency does not have to make a debate on the mandate of the elected officials. The Presidency simply has to note unfortunately the end of their mandate" recalling the two elections of renewal which did not take place, he affirms that it is 20 senators whose mandate expires on January 13th who will have to leave their seats.

Mackenson Cangé, a member of the National Palace’s communications office, said that there would be no political agreement with the parliamentarians whose term was coming to an end.

Pierre-Louis Opont, member of the Provisional Electoral Council (CEP) does not share this opinion, saying that only 1/3 of the senators will leave, highlighting the particular case of 2 senators Youri Latortue and Jean Renel Sénatus who had also been sworn in on the second Monday of January 2016. "but had won the elections in the first round", and according to article 50.3 of the 2015 electoral decree they will remain in office until January 2022.

An opinion shared by Carl Cantave, the President of the Senate who declared on a radio of the capital "According to the Constitution in its article 95, the senators are elected for six years [..] But given that there had an agreement with the National Palace in 2018, the third of the Senate to which I belong in January 2020. According to the Constitution, the other two thirds of the Senate will remain in office."

List of the status of all senators : https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-29701-haiti-flash-who-will-leave-his-seat-at-senate-on-january-13.html

Answer on January 13th...

To be continued...

HL/ HaitiLibre