PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti (AP) — Members of a transitional presidential council who will be responsible for selecting a new prime minister issued their first official statement on Wednesday, pledging to restore “public and democratic order” in Haiti. The statement, although signed by eight members of what is supposed to be a nine-member council, is still considered a sign that a contentious and drawn-out nomination process is ending and that the council might soon assume its official duties. The members noted that as soon as the council is officially installed, they would help “put Haiti back on the path of democratic legitimacy, stability and dignity.”