According to the Citizen Observatory for the Institutionalization of Democracy (OCID), for the week of February 25 to March 1, 2019, the Senate organized 2 sessions (February 26 and 27) against none in the Lower House.

Chamber of Deputies :

No sessions were held in the lower house during the three days usually spent in plenary sessions (Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday).

Senate :

Tuesday, February 26, 2019, the Justice and Security Committee of the Senate met the members of the Superior Council of the National Police (CSPN) on the file of 7 heavily armed foreigners arrested in Haiti on Sunday, February 17 in Port-au-Prince https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-26963-haiti-flash-a-mysterious-commando-of-heavily-armed-foreigners-arrested-in-port-au-prince.html and transferred to USA on the 20th of the same month https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-27009-haiti-flash-back-in-the-united-states-the-members-of-the-commandos-are-free.html

At the end of this behind doors session, in which 18 senators were present, Senator Jean Renel Sénatus, President of the Commission, reported that the Prime Minister and the DG of the PNH had refused to explain what had really happened as part of this case https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-27064-haiti-politic-in-the-senate-michel-ange-gedeon-refuses-to-say-what-he-knows-about-the-commando.html the meeting was referred to the Plenary Assembly.

At a meeting held on Wednesday, February 27, 2019, 16 Senators received and questioned Mrs. Elise Gelin, the Minister of Social Affairs and Labor, Agabus Joseph the Director General the Office of Occupational Health Insurance (OFATMA) and Chesnel Pierre Director General of the National Old-Age Insurance Office (ONA) about : the quality of the services provided to the insured, the demonstrations of the workers demanding the increase of the minimum wage, the lack of accompaniment of the workers of the under-treatment by OFATMA and lack of access to the credit service by ONA policyholders.

At the end of the session, the following commitments were made :

• Act on the administrative burden to reduce the borrowing procedure on the fees;

• Set up community stores so that workers can buy basic necessities at a reduced price.

• Provide bus workers with transportation services;

• Commit to strengthening the mechanisms to make effective medical coverage and a housing loan available to workers;

• Regarding the minimum wage, the Minister promises to provide workers in the subcontracting with social benefits to meet certain immediate needs related to food, transportation and medical care.

HL/ HaitiLibre