Protesters Accuse Haitian President of Corruption

A Haitian policeman observes anti-government demonstrators marching in the streets of Port-au-Prince October 14, 2012 to protest the cost of living in Haiti. The demonstrators are calling for the resignation of President Michel Martelly. (Thony Belizaire/AFP/GettyImages)

Hundreds of people marched through the Haitian capital of Port-au-Prince over the weekend, calling on President Michel Martelly to resign.

They complain that it costs too much to live in Haiti and accused Martelly of corruption, reported AFP. They said that Martelly, who was elected in May 2011, failed to deliver on promises he made during his election campaign to reduce poverty.

“Martelly is wasting the meager resources of the country,” Edner Rosier, an organizer of the protest, told the news agency. Opposition politicians have said he has wasted public money on luxury vehicles and international flights.

Haiti is still reeling from the devastating earthquake that struck the country in early 2010, killing hundreds of thousands and leaving a million homeless.

According to the World Bank, Haiti is the poorest country in the Western Hemisphere and one of the poorest in the world. More than half its population lives on less than $1 per day.

Protesters also accused the president of breaking a promise to cover the cost of school tuition, reported The Associated Press. 

“Grassroots organizations are going to organize with the other political forces to mobilize the rest of the country against this corrupt regime supported by a few members of the international community,” demonstrator Yves Pierre-Louis was quoted as saying by AFP.

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