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WORLD NEWSWednesday 23 December

Haiti officials postpone elections set for this weekend

A demonstrator holds up a teargas grenade after UN Peacekeepers from Brazil fired it during a with evaluating the widely and the electoral council.
criticized electoral process. But the review panel has
protest against the country’s electoral council in Port-au-Prince, Haiti. Less than a week before In a brief statement issued not yet been installed and
this week, Haiti’s Provisional various opposition factions
balloting was scheduled, Haitian authorities postponed the country’s presidential and legislative Electoral Council said the objected to the commis-
vote scheduled for Dec. sion’s members, saying
runoffs. (AP Photo/Dieu Nalio Chery) 27 was postponed until fur- that the government didn’t
ther notice. They did not seek consensus with the 10
DAVID McFADDEN fore balloting was sched- runoffs because they said provide a new date for sitting senators and opposi-
Associated Press uled, Haitian authorities they needed to wait for the final round of national tion leaders before the five
PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti (AP) postponed the country’s recommendations from a elections. Council spokes- members were chosen. The
— Less than a week be- presidential and legislative special commission tasked man Roudy Stanley Penn “Group of Eight’ alliance
said a new date will be an- led by second-place presi-
nounced once a commis- dential finisher Jude Celes-
sion created by presiden- tin said it was meant merely
tial decree has concluded as a “cosmetic solution.”
its work. Last week, Presi- In Monday comments to
dent Michel Martelly an- The Associated Press, Mar-
nounced that a five-mem- telly said the evaluation
ber commission would commission is intended to
assess Haiti’s electoral pro- provide clarity to what he
cess ahead of the runoffs asserts are baseless fraud
that opposition factions allegations stoked by the
have threatened to derail opposition. Once the com-
because of suspicions of mission finishes its work, he
widespread fraud. It was said he’s confident the
expected to take three country can move ahead
days to conclude its review with the final round of elec-
and make recommenda- tions “because we want
tions to the government it to be credible.” He said
his government has lately
Colombia’s president legalizes medical marijuana been in talks with electoral
officials, senators and op-
JACOBO GARCIA bians had been consum- experimented with legal- approach say as many as position figures, including
Associated Press ing marijuana and mari- ization or decriminaliza- 400,000 Colombians suffer- Celestin’s camp, to find a
BOGOTA, Colombia (AP) — juana-based products in a tion as part of a wave of ing from epilepsy and oth- way out of the electoral
Colombia’s President Juan legal void for years. changing attitudes toward er ailments could benefit impasse. For weeks, the op-
Manuel Santos signed a The new rules “represent drug use and policies to from the clearer regulatory position alliance demand-
decree on Tuesday legal- a major step that put Co- combat it in Latin America. framework. ed an independent review
izing the growing and sale lombia at the vanguard Colombia has long been Colombians for two de- of late October elections
of marijuana for medical and forefront of the fight identified with U.S.-backed cades have been allowed that it insists were rigged in
purposes, a dramatic shift against illnesses,” Santos policies to eradicate nar- to possess small quantities favor of the government-
in a country long identified said during the signing cer- cotics production and a of any narcotic for per- backed presidential can-
with US-backed policies to emony for the presidential sharp decline in levels of sonal use due to a series of didate. But the Provisional
stamp out drug crops. decree. violence over the past 15 Constitutional Court rulings Electoral Council rejected
Santos said the new regu- With the new rules, Co- years is largely attributed guaranteeing the “free their demands, arguing
latory framework was long lombia joins countries from to the no-tolerance polic- development of one’s that they lacked the power
overdue given that Colom- Mexico to Chile that have ing. Proponents of the new personality.”q to authorize a review of the
official results.q

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