HTH -- Haiti Earthquake

May 5, 2010. Haitian President Preval to extend term if elections not held by November

SOURCE: Altegrity Risk International

Haitian President Rene Preval says he will stay in office for as many as three months past the end of his term if a presidential elections is not held as scheduled, according to reports on May 5th. Opposition lawmakers have denounced Preval, saying the move is unconstitutional. Preval's five-year term is scheduled to end in February 2011, but electoral officials are struggling to prepare for elections after the country was ravished by a powerful earthquake in January 2010. The electoral commission in Haiti is currently operating out of a gym. Preval signed a decree on May 4th that will allow him to stay in power until May 14, 2011 if elections are not held before November 28th, 2010.