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Haiti president meets with opposition amid unrest

18 December 2014 00:49 (UTC +04:00)

Baku-APA. Haiti President Michel Martelly met Wednesday with opposition leaders in a bid to stabilize the politically fractious country as pressure mounted on him to appoint an interim prime minister, APA reports quoting Reuters.

The meetings are Martelly's latest response to the recommendations of an independent commission he established to end a political stalemate over delayed legislative elections. Among the recommendations was that former prime minister Laurent Lamothe should resign, which he did early Sunday following days of violent protests in which at least one person was killed.

"All I have to say is that the meeting went well," Martelly told reporters briefly as he left a hotel in Port-au-Prince where the meeting was held. "We agreed to continue the discussion."

Opposition leaders said they talked about how Martelly could implement the recommendations, which include removing the electoral council and replacing it with new members and releasing several people the opposition considers political prisoners.

"The people in the street are not going to demobilize," said Rosemond Pradel, general secretary of the opposition Fusion party. "(Martelly) must satisfy the recommendations."

Martelly's administration also is drafting a list of candidates for interim prime minister, who could help steer the troubled country through political unrest.

"We need a new government as soon as possible," Senate President Simon Desras told The Associated Press Wednesday in an interview. "I think it's a complex and politically turbulent moment in Haiti."

Desras said that while his name is apparently on the list of candidates for interim prime minister, he doesn't know yet if he would seek the position. However, he added, "I'm always ready to serve." The longtime senator also told the AP it's a possibility he would run for president of Haiti, and that if he does, he would focus on stabilizing the country and prioritize cooperation with opposition leaders.

Lamothe told the AP earlier this week that he has no plans to run for president.

Haiti faces an uncertain political future in upcoming months, with the terms of the current Senate expiring on Jan. 12, exactly five years after a devastating earthquake struck the nation of 10 million people that is still trying to recover.

Desras stressed that the current parliament should remain in place until a new one is appointed, noting that legislative approval is required before a new prime minister can be named.