Above: Port-au-Prince (CJ Photo)

By the Caribbean Journal staff

Haiti’s recent agreement on a transitional college of the Permanent Electoral Council, a move that paves the way for the holding of long-delayed elections, is drawing praise from the United States and the United Nations.

In a statement, the UN’s MINUSTAH peacekeeping mission said it “welcomed” the installation of the nine-member council and encouraged the new council to “quickly implement all means necessary” to meet the prerequisites for elections.”

Those include the amendment of the Electoral Act, the recruitment of election staff in the region and the establishment of an electoral timetable.

One third of the Senate, along with local government officials, will be at play in the vote. The UN has been urging Haiti to hold elections by the end of this year.

“MINUSTAH stands ready to support open, transparent and inclusive elections,” it said.

The United States Embassy in Haiti called the formation of the council an “important step towards the organization of elections in Haiti.”

“This spirit of dialogue, compromise and sense of duty is necessary in the progress of important issues in Haiti, particularly the organization of senatorial and local elections this year,” it said.

The US said it “remains committed to supporting the people and government of Haiti in the long term to build a more stable and prosperous future for its people.”

The council was officially published on April 11.