PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti – Protesters burned tires and threw rocks at police during the latest anti-government demonstration in Haiti’s capital amid a bitter political stalemate over long-delayed elections.
The gathering of mostly young men reached a peak of about 1,500 Saturday as protesters called for the departure of President Michel Martelly.
Riot police fired tear gas and sprayed water from an armoured vehicle, dispersing the crowd near where the National Palace stood before it collapsed in Haiti’s 2010 earthquake.
There has been no letup in violent protests since last month’s resignation of Martelly’s prime minister and other concessions aimed at resolving the stalemate holding up legislative elections.
Haiti faces an uncertain political future in coming days with Senate seats expiring Monday. If a last-minute agreement isn’t reached, Martelly will soon rule by decree.
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