Haiti’s prime minister quits under pressure

 
 

 

               

       Anti-government protesters carry the body of a demonstrator who was shot to death during clashes with the National Police in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, Saturday, Dec. 13, 2014. Haiti's capital has endured a growing number of violent demonstrations in which protesters are demanding long-delayed elections and the resignations of Prime Minister Laurent Lamothe as well as President Michel Martelly. (AP Photo/Dieu Nalio Chery)

 

Posted: Sunday, December 14, 2014 4:24 pm

Associated Press |

 

PORT AU PRINCE, Haiti — Bowing to pressure, Haiti Prime Minister Laurent Lamothe resigned early Sunday, paving the way for a new government to lead the country into long overdue legislative and local elections.

 

Lamothe said he was making the sacrifice for Haiti because the country not only needs development but also political stability to advance.

 

The resignation came after yet another day of tense anti-government protests, which also spread to the cities of Cap-Haitien and Gonaives. In Port-au-Prince, protesters accused police of killing an unarmed demonstrator who had a bullet wound in his chest.

 

Police spokesman Gary Desrosiers said “no one died in (Saturday’s) protests. There were no great incidents.” He said an investigation has been launched into the death of the unidentified man, but it looked like people “put the body there.”

 

The protests took place despite President Michel Martelly announcing Friday that he would accept Lamothe’s offer to resign as part of a series of far-reaching “calming” measures recommended by a presidential commission to quell political tensions.

 

But with no timetable on Lamothe’s resignation, opponents believed Martelly would try to outsmart them and took to the streets Saturday demanding both his and Lamothe’s resignations. Opponents accuse Martelly of intentionally delaying the vote so that he could rule by decree on Jan. 12, making it easier for Lamothe to become a presidential contender in next year’s presidential elections.

 

Martelly is expected to name an interim prime minister from within his administration to address the country’s day-to-day affairs.