Protests in Haiti call for the resignation of the president

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The Haitian opposition calls for the resignation of President Moïse, claiming that the term of office has already been completed and that he wants to cling to power. New round of widespread protests are being prepared in Haiti starting this Friday with opposition leaders demanding that President Jovenel Moïse resign next month. André Michel, a member of the opposition Democratic and Popular Sector coalition, said in a telephone communication that, the priority right now is to launch another economic, social and political system. It is clear that Moïse is clinging to power. Another of the opposition's demands is the holding of legislative elections to reactivate the Parliament that has been dissolved for a year. Opponents say that the five-year term of the Haitian ruler is legally over, since it began when that of former President Michel Martelly expired in February 2016. For his part, the government leader alleges that it began in 2017, when he assumed power in a delayed swearing-in due to the chaotic electoral process that forced the appointment of an interim president for a year. The elections were initially scheduled for October 2019, but were delayed by political stalemate and widespread protests throughout the country, with the closure of schools, businesses and government offices for several weeks. International sponsors from Haiti expressed the concerns of opponents and demands for the holding of parliamentary elections as soon as possible. Meanwhile, part of the international community condemned several of the decrees of the current president. One of the decrees limited the powers of the court in charge of auditing government contracts and that had accused the president and other officials of embezzlement and fraud over a Venezuelan program that provided cheap oil. Moïse and other officials denied the allegations. Another presidential order considered that acts such as robbery, arson and road blockade common in protests would be classified as terrorism and would be subject to serious penalties. In addition, he created an intelligence agency that only answers to him. Core Group, made up of officials from the United Nations, the United States, France and Canada, questioned these initiatives. These two presidential decrees, on areas that are within the powers of a Parliament, do not seem to conform to certain fundamental principles of democracy, the rule of law and the civil and political rights of citizens," they said in the statement. The Haitian president dismissed the concerns and vows to keep moving forward. In his New Year's message on Twitter, he affirmed that 2021 would be an important year for the future of the country and called for a constitutional referendum in April and parliamentary and presidential elections in September.