Following the first plenary session of the Senate on Wednesday, after more than two months of lethargy, the Senate had scheduled a second meeting yesterday Thursday.

Bringing together 16 Senators [the minimum quorum], the reading of the proposed agenda, which included the appointment of representatives of the legislative body to the new Permanent Electoral Council, has generated an immediate hostile reaction of Senator Jean-Charles Moïse "No question to speak of the formation of Permanent Electoral Council," declared the Senator, threatening to no longer be present at plenary sessions, if the Senate persisted in the formation of a Permanent Electoral Council, before leaving the session. His departure has reversed the quorum, preventing the continuation of the session.

Before this incident, Dieuseul Simon Desras, the President of the Senate, had had time to announce that the offices of both Houses were ready to form a bicameral Commission responsible for receiving and consider the candidacies "The Commission will be composed eventually of hree deputies and two senators."

The President of the Senate, urged his colleagues to participate in the plenary sessions, despite their divisions, reminding them that they "have a moral duty to come to work." Informing the Senators, that in case of persistent deadlock, the President Martelly could very well continue the process of formation of the CEP without the Legislative Branch, noting that Article 136 of the Constitution of 1987 gave the Head of State the right to ensure stability and smooth operation of institutions... Comments that reinforce the rumor circulating in recent days, of the establishment of a CEP, provisionally amputated of Legislative, while waiting that the Parliamentarians solve their differences and their 3 representatives, finally join the Electoral Council.

The Senator Edwin Zény (Edo), who stressed on the necessity to constitute the CEP and invited his colleagues to work in this direction, has categorically rejected the idea of ​​a Provisional Electoral Council of consensus, as desired among others, by the Senator Moïse "It is no question to break an amendment that I have approved the formation of a Provisional Electoral Council, would be a violation of the Constitution amended."

For his part, the Senator Lucas Saint-Vil, who also calls for consensus, recognize before the divergent positions and categorical of some of his colleagues, that it is almost impossible to obtain a majority of 2/3 required in both chambers, due to the amputation of 10 Senators to the Upper House. Comments that implicitly reinforce those of the President of the Senate, which had evoked Wednesday, the reduction of quorum from 16 to 11, causing strong reactions of opposition.

See also :

https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-6170-haiti-politic-first-session-in-the-senate-since-may-9-2012.html

https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-6162-haiti-cep-nothing-moves-among-the-parliamentarians.html

HL/ HaitiLibre