Haiti: Former president Michel Martelly runs despite international sanctions

Michel Martelly, Haiti’s president from 2011 to 2016, filed his candidacy on Friday with the Provisional Electoral Council for the December 13 presidential election. He is running under the Debloke coalition, which includes former members of the PHTK party he once led, and was accompanied by three lawyers as several hundred supporters followed him. Martelly said Haiti was still standing when he left office in 2016 and that he should now put the country back on its feet. His bid comes despite US and Canadian sanctions accusing him of facilitating drug trafficking and supporting armed gangs; on October 9, the electoral council removed a provision targeting candidates sanctioned by foreign countries.