The political fate of Haiti's newly ratified prime minister, Michele Duvivier Pierre-Louis, was put on hold Tuesday after the president of the lower house of parliament was forced to postpone Phase 2 of her ratification vote.
''The executive isn't ready; nobody is ready,'' a frustrated Eric Jean-Jacques told The Miami Herald in a telephone interview from Port-au-Prince. "Nobody wants to take risks.''
Jean-Jacques, who presides over the 99-member lower Chamber of Deputies, had scheduled to have Pierre-Louis appear before the chamber at 1 p.m. Tuesday with her new Cabinet and general policies.
But ongoing disagreements among parliamentarians and political parties over who will serve in the new government are delaying the vote, which is necessary for Pierre-Louis to obtain the power to govern under Haiti's constitution.
Some Haitian lawmakers and party leaders are arguing that since the government was fired on April 12 — along with Prime Minister Jacques-Edouard Alexis — in the wake of deadly food riots, none of them should be returned to power.
Others, including Haitian President René Préval, argue that for the sake of continuity in a country that has spent four months without a functioning government, some ministers should remain in the job.
''It's one big headache,'' Jean-Jacques said.
Read the complete story at miamiherald.com.