ARTICLE - MIXED REACTION TO ELECTION DECISION

MIXED REACTION TO HAITI ELECTION DECISION
(Caribbean 360) -

The US, UN and OAS are all happy with the outcome but one body calls it a major setback for Haitian democracy.

PORT-AU-PRINCE – Electoral officials’ decision to drop the government-backed candidate from the presidential runoff gets, on one hand, the approval of Haitians and the international community generally but a Washington-based think tank that had called for new elections has deemed the move a “big setback” for Haitian democracy.

Local reaction to yesterday’s announcement that Jude Célestin is out and popular musician Michel ‘Sweet Micky’ Martelly is in the final round with former first lady Mirlande Manigat, was unlike what took place in December 2009 when the Provisional Election Council (CEP) said preliminary results put Célestin and Manigat in the runoff. Then, there had been massive protests as pro-Martelly demonstrators alleged that the ruling Inite (Unity) coalition had rigged the November 28 elections.

This time around, Haitians are satisfied and some erupted in cheers after hearing the CEP decision.

The United States – which had been pressuring the Haiti government to accept the recommendation from an Organisation of American States (OAS) expert mission for Martelly to move to the runoff instead of Célestin because there were irregularities in the tally and adjustments put Martelly ahead of the man handpicked by President René Préval – said it was “a good day in Haiti”.

US Ambassador to the Caribbean island, Kenneth Merten, told a press briefing in Washington yesterday: “We are pleased to note that they (CEP) seem to have been very diligent in following the OAS Verification Mission’s report’s recommendations, and we salute their work in this regard.”

US ready to help in second round
He said the US is looking forward to continuing to work with the Council, the Haitian Government and people as they move forward to the second round of presidential and legislative elections on March 20.

“Between now and then, we’ll be working very closely with our Haitian and international partners to prepare for that,” Ambassador Merten said.

“We would also want to make sure that…all the actors in Haiti, the political actors and the Haitian people, remain calm. We’re very happy that they have remained calm and patient throughout this period while they have sorted through the results of the first round, and we urge everybody to continue to remain calm and peaceful.”

The runoff will come after President Préval’s five-year expires next Monday but because of an emergency law passed by Parliament last year he could remain in office until May 14, which would give enough time for the CEP to follow its timetable of releasing results on March 31 and naming a new president, after the appeals process is completed, on April 16.

Alternatively, if Préval steps down, the Constitution says that the highest-ranking member of the Supreme Court would take over the country pending an election, no less than 45 days and no more than 90 days later.

Questioned whether he preferred Préval’s mandate to be extended, Ambassador Merten refused to be tied down.

“Our goal is, again, to support what the Haitian people want and for there to be a peaceful turnover of power from one legitimately elected president to another. We hope that occurs within the framework of Haitian law. I’ll just leave it at that,” he said.

Big setback for democracy
But the Center for Economic and Policy Research (CEPR) has argued that the elimination of Célestin from the race was not what the Haitian people wanted and the CEP had simply given in to external pressure.

The CEPR’s co-director, Mark Weisbrot, said Haiti’s democracy and national sovereignty were severely undermined.

"This is a big setback for democracy in Haiti. Far from fixing the problems with the first elections, this is simply an attempt to impose an illegitimate government on Haiti, and it will backfire," he said in a statement issued yesterday.

The Washington-based think tank said its statistical analysis of the OAS Mission's methodology and conclusions determined the report to be deeply flawed, "indefensible," and "inconclusive”.

It said it performed its own count of the 11,181 tally sheets from the election's first round, and found that, based on the numbers of irregularities, it is impossible to determine who should advance to a second round. The CEPR concluded that only new elections – including all legitimate political parties – could ensure the will of the Haitian electorate is validated.

The OAS is, however, sticking by the mission’s work and Secretary General José Miguel Insulza, in welcoming the CEP’s announcement, said it “puts an end to a part of the electoral process that has not been easy, due mainly to the adverse conditions in which it had to be carried out”.

“It is important to recognize that in Haiti, despite the challenges posed by the earthquake of one year ago, a civic and democratic willfulness has been shown, one that will be projected now onto the second and final electoral round,” he said.

Meantime, United Nations Secretary General Bank Ki-Moon has welcomed the announcement of the final results of the first round of the elections and urged all concerned to proceed with the electoral process.

“After a year marked by the devastating earthquake of 12 January 2010 and the ongoing cholera epidemic, it is of paramount importance for Haiti to have a new democratically elected Government to continue to tackle the pressing issues of recovery, reconstruction and the fight against cholera,” the Secretary-General’s spokesperson said in a statement.

The OAS Secretary General has also called on Haitians to “confidently participate” in the upcoming second round of elections.