Election is postponed again

A looming presidential election in Haiti that had already been postponed once and faced deep public skepticism was put on hold indefinitely as the country’s leaders sought to negotiate a resolution to what could soon become a constitutional crisis in the impoverished country.

The Provisional Electoral Council decided to postpone Sunday’s election because there is “too much violence throughout the country,” Pierre- Louis Opont, president of the body that oversees elections, said at a news conference.

In announcing its decision, the council did not set a new election date. It also did not say whether an interim government would take power after Feb. 7, when President Michel Martelly is required to leave office under the Constitution, or if he would remain until a replacement is elected.