US re-affirms support for free, fair, transparent elections in Haiti

WASHINGTON, CMC – The United States has re-affirmed its support for what it describes as the Haitian peoples’ right to participate in free, fair, and transparent elections on November 28.



US Ambassador to Haiti, Kenneth H. Merte said that the matter has been discussed with the Haitian government and various elements of the Haitian population “for a long time.



“Given the issues the next president and the next legislature will have to confront here in Haiti in terms of providing vision for Haiti’s future and a program for implementing that vision, we hope to see broad participation amongst the Haitian population in this important election,” Merten said.



“We urge Haitians to go out and vote and to exercise their right to do so,” he added.



The US envoy said while Sunday’s vote will be the fifth presidential election to take place in the French-speaking Caribbean Community (CARICOM) country since the end of the Duvalier dictatorship, “I think everyone is aware of the issues that arose in the aftermath of the January 12th earthquake.



“And before any preparation took place, the first thing the Haitian Government and the United Nations examined was the feasibility of holding these elections, from registering new voters, replacing lost or destroyed voter cards, ensuring sufficient voting centers, and tackling the question of where displaced persons could vote,” he said.



“They concluded that these elections could take place, and we have supported that process,” he added.



Merten said the United States has provided five million US dollars to the electoral fund administered by the UN Development Programme (UNDP).



He said while much remains to be done in the remaining days before the poll, “the process is on track.”



Merten said 250,000 new voters have been registered and more than 11,000 voting stations have been identified.



“Overseeing the electoral process is the Haitian Conseil Electoral Provisoire, or CEP, and they are the agency charged with ensuring that these elections take place in accordance with Haitian law; namely, that they are free, fair, and transparent,” he said.



“We expect the CEP to carry out its duties in fulfillment of Haitian law and with the transparency that befits democracy and that the Haitian people deserve. We emphasize that there must be transparency in the hiring and training of poll workers,” he added.



Merten said security is also an issue “on everybody’s minds,” stating that the Government of Haiti and the UN have “thought a lot about this very subject.”



He disclosed that the Haitian National Police is in charge of Election Day security with support from the UN Stabilization Mission in Haiti, or MINUSTAH.



MINUSTAH is also assisting the CEP with much of the logistics for the elections, including transporting ballots and monitoring the vote count, Merten said.



In addition, he said there are a number of observers in Haiti, including the Joint Electoral Observation Mission, an effort of the Organization of American States (OAS) and the Caribbean Community (CARICOM)



This mission, headed by Ambassador Colin Granderson of Trinidad and Tobago, has been on the ground in Haiti since August working with the CEP and other political actors “to observe the process and listen to grievances,” the US ambassador said.



“We have supported this mission from the outset and believe it is performing a crucial role, and we look forward to hearing their continued assessments of the process,” Merten said.