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WORLD NEWSSaturday 16 January 2016
Privert elected new leader of Haiti’s Senate Treasury Secretary demands
DAVID McFADDEN he planned the 2004 kill- not participate in a two- action on Puerto Rico’s crisis
Associated Press ings of government oppo- candidate runoff on Jan.
PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti (AP) nents near the port city of 24 because of concerns DANICA COTO
— An opposition lawmaker St. Marc, where violence about electoral fraud. Associated Press
who was jailed for over two erupted in the buildup to Jude Celestin said he plans SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico (AP) — U.S. Treasury Secretary
years before being cleared an armed rebellion that to soon make his boycott Jacob Lew urged Congress on Friday to pass legisla-
of charges he orchestrated pushed Aristide from power official with the Provisional tion by March to help ease Puerto Rico’s economic
a 2004 massacre of former for a second time and killed Electoral Council. crisis before it’s too late.
President Jean-Bertrand at least 300 people. He was However, electoral au- Lew made the request in a letter to U.S. House
Aristide’s opponents is the later charged with murder thorities have said Celes- Speaker Paul Ryan, a Wisconsin Republican, as he
new chief of Haiti’s Senate. and held for another year tin’s name will appear on announced an upcoming trip to the island to meet
Jocelerme Privert was alongside former Prime ballots because he never with government officials and business leaders to talk
about the financial situation.
Demonstrator chant anti-government slogans during a protest against the installation of the Hai- “Although there are many ways this crisis could es-
tian parliament in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, Monday, Jan. 11, 2016. calate further, it is clear that Puerto Rico is already
in the midst of an economic collapse,” Lew wrote.
(AP Photo/Dieu Nalio Chery) “It is time for Congress to act to provide order to a
chaotic and worsening situation.”
elected late Thursday as Minister Yvon Neptune. officially withdrew from Puerto Rico is struggling with $72 billion in public debt
Senate president with 15 Both men consistently the race. The Organiza- that the governor has said is unpayable and needs
votes and seven absten- maintained they were po- tion of American States on restructuring. The island recently defaulted on $37
tions. There are currently 24 litical prisoners and had Tuesday called upon the million in interest on bonds and faces its first lawsuit
sitting members of Haiti’s no involvement in the kill- two runoff contenders “to over how it has diverted funds to meet certain bond
30-seat upper house. Two ings. At one point, they participate actively in the payments. Gov. Alejandro Garcia Padilla has al-
senators, including a gov- launched a hunger strike election.” The United Na- ready warned that Puerto Rico doesn’t have money
ernment-aligned rival who in jail. All charges were tions, the United States and for upcoming bond payments including $400 million
had pushed for the Sen- dropped in June 2006 and other nations that monitor due in May.
ate leadership before with- Privert was released after Haiti say they support hold- Lew is scheduled to meet on Wednesday with offi-
drawing his candidacy, left 26 months behind bars. He ing the runoff this month. cials and community leaders to talk about the pro-
the chambers before the said he was the victim of a The U.S. Embassy in Port-au- posal that President Barack Obama’s administration
vote. political conspiracy by the Prince this week updated presented Congress to create a territorial bankruptcy
Privert vowed to lead Hai- U.S.-backed interim gov- a Haiti travel alert warn- regime that would allow Puerto Rico’s government
ti’s Senate impartially and ernment of former Prime ing American citizens to to restructure its debt and impose new oversight on
provide sound leadership Minister Gerard Latortue exercise caution and pay finances and expand Medicaid benefits, among
in managing public financ- following Aristide’s ouster. attention to the security other things.
es during a one-year term. Privert’s rival for the Senate situation “as the electoral Puerto Rico does not have access to any local or
He said he also hopes to presidency was Youri Lator- process progresses to a res- federal bankruptcy laws. Meanwhile, the U.S. Su-
pave the way for a per- tue, an adviser to outgoing olution.” preme Court recently announced it would hear an
manent electoral council President Michel Martelly. But at least one lawmaker, appeal on a ruling that barred Puerto Rico from giv-
to replace a chronically He is a cousin of ex-Prime Sen. Evalier Beauplan, said ing municipalities the power to declare bankruptcy.
disorganized provisional Minister Latortue. legislators will seek to set Ryan spokeswoman AshLee Strong said the speaker
one whose members are No political faction has a up a commission to assess has ordered the House committees of jurisdiction to
replaced every election majority in Haiti’s Senate. the elections and poten- work with the Puerto Rican government, review op-
cycle. Six seats are still to be de- tially postpone the Jan. tions, and report back by the end of the first quarter.
He’s a member of the Ver- cided in a partial legislative 24 vote. Since Sunday, 92 Ryan has pledged the House will come up this year
ite platform, a faction as- runoff set for Jan. 24, the newly elected deputies with “a responsible solution” for Puerto Rico’s debt
sociated with former Presi- same day as a scheduled and 14 senators have tak- problems. Meanwhile, Garcia praised Lew’s letter.
dent Rene Preval. presidential runoff. en oaths of office, nearly “We thank Secretary Lew for reminding Congressio-
An interior minister under In a Thursday interview with filling Haiti’s Parliament and nal leaders that they can still prevent this humanitar-
Aristide, Privert was held Radio Kiskeya, Haiti’s oppo- ending a year-long period ian crisis from spinning out of control,” he said.
for over a year without sition contender for presi- where Martelly was ruling Republican leaders including Sen. Orrin Hatch, R-
charges on allegations dent reaffirmed that he will by decree.q Utah, have demanded to see audited financial
statements from Puerto Rico, but they have not ma-
terialized.
Jesus Manuel Ortiz, public affairs secretary for the
Puerto Rican government, said Friday that the state-
ments are nearly ready and would be produced
soon, although he didn’t specify a date.
Puerto Rico is struggling with an increasingly dwin-
dling cash flow that has threatened to cut off gaso-
line and electricity to certain public and private in-
stitutions. Almost 10 percent of Puerto Rico’s popula-
tion has left since 2006 and hundreds of businesses
have closed, with Walmart announcing Friday that
it would shutter seven supermarkets on the island as
part of a global restructuring.
Lew noted in the letter that Puerto Rico has not had
access to the municipal bond market for more than
two years and ran out of funding sources commonly
used to finance government operations more than
six months ago.q
