The extraordinary session [the deputies are on holiday until January 2013] in National Assembly, to be held Monday afternoon to vote several bills important for the country, https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-6860-haiti-politic-convocation-in-extraordinary-session-of-parliament.html was postponed again due to lack of quorum. This is the second time this session, originally scheduled Thursday, October 11 has been postponed.

The quorum required, is of 16 senators and 66 deputies. Before the opening of the session, at the first roll call 9 senators and 39 deputies were present, at the roll call, 13 senators and 43 deputies were present.

Dieuseul Desras Simon, President of the Senate, which strongly condemns the absenteeism of parliamentarians was forced, for lack of a quorum, to postpone the meeting to October 29. "There is no justification for the behavior displayed by absentee [...] Opponents or partisan of the power in place, it is a moral obligation that have all parliamentarians to answer this convocation."

Certain senators opposed to the formation of the Permanent Electoral Council, who were present in Parliament but refused to attend the call, believe that the inclusion in the agenda, of the appointment of 3 representatives of the Legislative Branch is a trap. The Senator Moïse Jean Charles, who proclaimed himself spokesperson of senators of the opposition, who had called for a boycott of this session, declared "Never, we will participate in a National Assembly session with the inclusion of the item on the appointment of representatives of the legislative power to the CEP in the agenda. This is the condition sine qua non."

More surprisingly, the unexplained absence of some deputies allied to the government, grouped within the new majority "Parliamentarians for stability and progress" (PSP) [which would include approximately 60 deputies].

According to the Deputy Sadrac Dieudonné, President of Parliamentarians for block institutional reform (PRI), this proves that the President has no majority in Parliament, deploring also the postponement on 29 October, convinced that the President Desras could have set another date in the week.

For his part, while criticizing the behavior of colleagues absent, the Senator Steven Benoît, is not surprised at all of the new postponement "I had anticipated that there wouldn't be a session today."

For the Senator Lambert "The only point that caused the absence of the majority of senators, is and remains the designation of representatives of Parliament to the CEP." That does not explain the absence of certain members who are committed to support the Government Martelly...

See also :

https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-6685-haiti-politic-the-psp-making-waves-in-the-ranks-of-inite.html

https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-6872-haiti-politic-the-national-assembly-postponed-to-monday-october-15.html

https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-6852-haiti-politic-convocation-of-deputies-in-national-assembly-thursday.html

HL/ HaitiLibre