Corey Blackman
23 January 2016•Update: 24 January 2016
By Senabri Silvestre
MADRID, Spain
Haiti on Friday again cancelled the second round of presidential and parliamentary elections that had been scheduled for Jan. 24, citing a violent political climate.
The Provisional Electoral Council (CEP) said it factored into the decision, escalating violent protests and attacks on electoral offices around the country.
"Facing a deteriorating security environment and threats to the electoral process, the CEP decided to postpone the electoral process,” said council president Pierre-Louis Opont.
In a press conference, Opont said the CEP could neither guarantee the security of poll workers nor the country’s 5.8 million registered voters in the poll that will choose six senators, 27 deputies and the person to replace President Michel Martelly who must leave office by Feb. 7.
Minutes before the cancellation was announced, local media reported that officials had halted the distribution of ballots and other voting materials and began recovery of those items that had already been distributed.
Violence in the run up to the vote has forced the resignation of three of nine council members as elections offices throughout the country continue to be targeted for attack.
This latest cancellation is the second time Pourt au-Prince has postponed elections, originally scheduled for Dec. 27, in part, because opposition politicians have refused to participate, citing a lack of confidence in the CEP.
Members of the United Nations Mission for the Stabilization of Haiti are assisting Haitian police in trying to quell the violence.
No date has been set for future elections.
