OAS Official Urges Haitian President-Elect To Focus On Political Stability

Albert Ramdin, the Assistant Secretary General of the Organization of American States, is urging Haitian President-elect Michel Martelly to focus on adopt achieving political stability as his country’s top priority.

“Haitians have been longing for changes and [the] challenges are enormous,” Ramdin said during a panel discussion Wednesday at the U.S. Institute of Peace (USIP) in Washington, D.C.

To achieve this goal, Ramdin is advising Martelly to bolster the judiciary system, set up advisory councils and strengthen intermediary institutions such as political parties.

Fueled by the votes of young Haitians dissatisfied with the previous leadership, Martelly, a former pop star, garnered a nearly 70 percent lead in the country’s run off election earlier this month. He was running against Mirlande Manigat, a former First Lady.

Ramdin’s comments coincide with a meeting between Martelly and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton in Washington today.