UN welcomes Haiti's agreement on transitional govt

Ban Ki-moon has also urged parties to implement the deal, after President Michel Martelly left office without a successor

UN chief Ban Ki-moon has welcomed Haiti's agreement on a transitional government as President Michel Martelly left office without a successor, and Ban urged parties to implement the deal.

The agreement, signed late Saturday by the presidents of both chambers of the national assembly, keeps the country from plunging into an immediate power vacuum on Martelly's exit, after an election to choose his replacement was postponed over fears of violence.

"The agreement is in the spirit of the Haitian Constitution," Ban's spokesman said yesterday, adding that the UN secretary-general urged "all actors concerned to implement it in order to ensure the democratic transfer of power to elected officials."

Ban "encourages all actors to promote measures aimed at fostering calm and stability (and) reaffirms the commitment of the United Nations to extend its full support to the Haitian people in the fulfillment of their democratic aspirations," the statement added.

A runoff between Martelly's favored candidate, Jovenel Moise, and opposition flag-bearer Jude Celestin, was called off following violence and opposition protests by demonstrators alleging that foul play had helped the government candidate take the first round.

The provisional government allows for lawmakers to pick an acting president to serve for up to 120 days.