Haiti politics

waltky · Feb 14, 2016

Haitian Lawmakers appoint Privert as Interim President...

Haitian Lawmakers Choose Privert as Interim President
February 14, 2016 - Haitian lawmakers have chosen legislative leader Jocelerme Privert as the country's interim president to fill the void left by the recent departure of former president Michel Martelly.

Privert received the nod from his fellow lawmakers after a lengthy legislative session that lasted from Saturday into Sunday. Privert said after the vote he hopes to lead a government that will "foster confidence within all sectors of society." A new election will be held in the coming months. Embattled Haitian president Martelly left office last Sunday as required by Haiti's constitution. Ahead of Martelly's departure, the former pop music star told lawmakers in Port-Au-Prince that he was leaving office "to contribute to constitutional normalcy."

Provisional president candidate Jocelerme Privert gives his speech in the Special Bicameral Commission for the election of the provisional President of the Republic in the Haitian Parliament in Port-au-Prince, Haiti

Martelly's exit was the latest turn in a months-long political crisis triggered by a first round of elections in October that featured 54 candidates seeking to succeed Martelly. Critics described those polls as rife with corruption and rigged in favor of little-known ruling party candidate Jovenel Moise. Election tallies triggered protests across the capital and prompted opposition leaders to announce a boycott of any runoff.

A second round of voting has since been postponed twice over security concerns in and around the capital, leaving Haiti still struggling to establish a stable and enduring democracy 30 years after the overthrow of the Jean-Claude Duvalier dictatorship.

A man riding a bike passes next to a car that was set afire by protesters during a demonstration against the electoral process in Port-au-Prince, Haiti

Analysts say the ongoing political turmoil has discouraged badly needed foreign investment in the country of 10 million people - already the poorest country in the Western Hemisphere. The lack of foreign funds has in turn undercut efforts to recover from a 2010 earthquake that left parts of Port-Au-Prince in ruins.

http://www.voanews.com/content/haiti-elects-interim-president/3190347.html
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waltky · May 5, 2016

Doctors, nurses and maintenance staff on strike...

Pregnant woman dies waiting at hospital
Fri, May 06, 2016 - STAFF STRIKES: Doctors, nurses and maintenance staff have walked off the job at public hospitals to protest scant medical supplies, unsafe work practices and poor pay

A bleeding pregnant woman on Wednesday died at the gates of Haitis largest public hospital after failing to get help amid a weeks-old strike by resident doctors, nurses and other staff. Hundreds of people gathered around the woman just outside the General Hospital compound in Port-au-Princes crowded downtown. They covered her body in a blanket and carried it to a nearby radio station in an impromptu protest, chanting: Medicine needs to work! This woman came here to get help, but couldnt find any doctors. Thats not right, computer technician Jean Michel Tius said as he watched the crowd march away with the corpse.

Public hospitals primarily serve Haitis poor and have been crippled by the strike. Doctors, nurses and maintenance staff have walked off the job to protest a chronic dearth of even the most basic medical supplies, dismal pay and unsafe working conditions. People needing medical help are forced to seek care at relatively expensive private hospitals or overcrowded free clinics run by international organizations. Young resident doctors at the Hospital of the State University of Haiti, a teaching hospital, gathered privately in an office during the protest before holding a news conference.

Joseph Herold, a third-year resident in obstetrics and gynecology, said he was deeply saddened by news of the pregnant womans death, but he put the blame on the Haitian Ministry of Health. The state doesnt give us anything to care for the patients, he said, adding that even rubber gloves are scarce. Resident physicians at the teaching hospital earn a basic salary of just US$120 a month, Herold said. He said pay has not increased for over 20 years, causing a steady stream of doctors to abandon the public hospital system or seek opportunities abroad.

In a statement, the health ministrys mediators said the resident doctors are demanding nearly US$1,300 a month. They said they are trying to satisfy demands made by the resident doctors, but they are powerless to address the salary complaints until the next fiscal year begins in October. The walkout at the General Hospital complex started when a resident doctor was apparently punched by an administrator, but it has since broadened to demand better working conditions and pay. Staffers at nine other public hospitals are protesting in solidarity. After Haitis 2010 earthquake, a new and improved General Hospital was supposed to be built with money from international donors, but more than six years later it is still not completed.

http://www.taipeitimes.com/News/world/archives/2016/05/06/2003645652
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Haiti politics

waltky Well-Known Member

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