Former Haitian president Michel Martelly has formally registered as a candidate in the general elections due on 13 December, the country's first in more than a decade, Africanews reports.
Mr Martelly, a former musician who led Haiti from 2011 to 2016, went to the Provisional Electoral Council's offices with lawyers and hundreds of supporters. He is standing for Debloke, a coalition that includes former members of his old party, PHTK. The United States and Canada have sanctioned him over alleged links to drug trafficking and gangs, but on 9 October the council dropped a rule aimed at candidates under foreign sanctions.
Gang violence has displaced more than 1.4 million people and armed groups control about 70 per cent of Port-au-Prince, raising doubts about whether voting can take place. The registration deadline has been extended to 31 October, with 16 presidential candidates so far.
Source: Africanews
