People's Power: Haiti's Prime Minister Laurent Lamothe resigns following protests

Laurent Lamothe, Haiti's prime minister  resigned, after violent anti-government protests over delayed elections.

Laurent Lamothe, Haiti's prime minister, has announced he is resigning along with several ministers in the wake of violent anti-government protests and a commission's call for him to step down.

In a speech made early on Sunday morning, Lamothe said he was leaving "with a sense of accomplishment".


"This country has undergone a deep and dynamic transformation and a real change in benefit of its people," he said.

President Michel Martelly said earlier he accepted the findings of the commission that had recommended Lamothe's replacement.

Protesters have been seeking Lamothe's resignation, but many also want Martelly to step down.

Martelly has been accused by opposition groups of returning Haiti to dictatorial rule, after repeatedly delaying elections expected since 2011.

Lamothe and Martelly have blamed six opposition senators for blocking the vote. The senators say the legislation is unconstitutional and favours the government.

Martelly appointed Lamothe as prime minister in 2012, and there is now speculation that Lamothe might seek the presidency in upcoming elections.

Haiti's capital Port-au-Prince has endured a growing number of violent demonstrations in recent weeks during which protesters have demanded the holding of elections that were expected in 2011 and the resignations of Lamothe as well as Martelly.

United Nations peacekeepers on Friday fired at a crowd of protesters who were demanding new leadership just days after a government-appointed commission recommended that the country's prime minister resign.

Thousands of protesters marched through the capital, Port-au-Prince, as they burned tires and clashed with U.N. troops and police, who also fired tear gas. Associated Press journalists at the scene did not observe any injuries or deaths.On Saturday, one man was found dead in a protest in Port-Au-Prince during clashes with police who fired tear gas.

It was not immediately clear how the man died, but he was shot at least once in the wrist.Demonstrations also spread to other towns, including Gonaives and Cap-Haitien.

People's Power: Haiti's Prime Minister Laurent Lamothe resigns following protests

Opposition politicians accuse President Martelly of wanting to rule by decree and that legislation that would authorise the vote unfairly favours the government.

The government argues that opposition politicians are dragging their feet in the hope of extending their time in office without elections.
Mr Lamothe had been prime minister since 2012

Parliament's mandate expires in January, and unless elections are held, Mr Martelly would rule by decree.

A commission set up to break the stalemate said on Friday that Mr Lamothe should resign, along with the head of the Supreme Court and the country's election commission.

Mr Martelly said earlier that the accepted the commission's findings, and would meet government officials on Monday to discuss them.


-BBC, Fox News and Al Jazeera