By Frederic Tomesco
Canada has offered to take part in an international effort to oversee the recount of ballots in Haiti after the disputed Nov. 28 election, Foreign Affairs Minister Lawrence Cannon said.
The Haiti election was marred by allegations of fraud and incidents of violence that triggered a call by a majority of the presidential candidates for the vote to be annulled. Opposition candidates such as Michel Martelly, who finished in third place, are refusing to take part in a proposed recount, Agence France- Presse reported today.
“There is an opportunity of a mixed international committee that would be put in place to be able to go and supervise the recount of the ballots,” Cannon told CTV television network in an interview today. “Canada has offered its cooperation, and we’re waiting to get additional information on that.”
Cannon said he called Haiti President René Preval and Prime Minister Jean-Max Bellerive on Dec. 10 to express Canada’s concern over the “irregularities” that took place in the voting, and “encouraged them to put in the necessary tools to be able to correct this. I got the assurances that this would be done,” he said.
Canada probably won’t be asked to send new soldiers to Haiti as part of a United Nations-led security force because the unrest has been brought under control, Cannon said. More than 100 Canadians are already on the ground in the country with the UN force, he said.
Second-Round Vote
“Following my phone conversation the other day, I got the assurances that calm would be restored and as we speak today, calm has been restored in the streets,” Cannon said.
Haitian voters are due to return to the polls Jan. 16 for a second-round vote amid a cholera epidemic that has killed more than 2,120 people.
Efforts to rebuild Haiti following the January earthquake that killed as many as 300,000 people are one of the topics Cannon said he will discuss tomorrow when he meets with his U.S. and Mexican counterparts, Hillary Clinton and Patricia Espinosa, in Canada.
“It’s slow, it’s extremely slow,” Cannon said of the rebuilding. “There are problems for instance in terms of land tenure. These are preoccupations and concerns that we have.”
To contact the reporter for this story: Frederic Tomesco in Montreal at tomesco@bloomberg.net.
To contact the editor responsible for this story: David Scanlan at dscanlan@bloomberg.net
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COMMENT: HAITIAN-TRUTH.ORG
I had hoped that the Canadians were smarter than this.
Recounting the existing ballots is a simple case of validating the crime. The election was tainted from before the first vote was cast. The recount assumes that Celestin, Manigat and Martelly were/are the 3 top vote getters. Your ambassador, in Haiti, knows this is not true.
What about the one Preval feared the most – Jean-Henry Ceant, the guy who topped the real – not false BRIDE – polls. He was pulling upwards from 33% while Martelly, Manigat and Celestin were in single digits, below Baker???
Get rid of Preval.
Cancel election..
Name new CEP.
Have new, well supervised vote.
Otherwise the future is a predictable disaster.
The international community has no respect for the Haitian people. They see us as if we were “less than human.” The non-profit organizations, the OAS and the ONU are all profiting from the demise of Haiti. This is why it is not in their interest to have true democratic election in Haiti. In the United States, we have the “Animal Humane Society” to advocate for the right and protection of animals. However, in Haiti we have the United Nation Stabilization Mission in Haiti (MINUSTA) whose role is to protect a despot government who is trying to build a dynasty by all necessary means.
History will judge the travesty of the International community. It always pretends to be Haiti’s savior when in fact their solutions are often the cause of the problems. What is it about the word “FRAUD” that cannot be understood. Only in Haiti does the word “FRAUD” means recount.
If the international community has any decency, it should call for the annulation of the elections, create a provisional government and call for new elections. Washington should send a strong signal to the despot government of Haiti that its days are numbered.
The people of Haiti have suffered enough. It is time that the rest of the world starts seeing us as regular human being that are trapped in the devil’s den.
remember when you say international community to clarify.those sent to represent the international community are not the international community.cause it is composed of our own people also leaving abroad.
those that have the major role in the international community are not fighting to defend anything else but their own interest.it seems like everything is about to be over,the world will come soon to an end let us get rich quick.but they do not think is that they can get it easy but might never have a chance to enjoy it.keep on my friends,all of your efforts to keep poor countries poor will soon come to its end
Canada,Canada,Canada, three times, how do you consider your former General Governor, Michaelle Jean? Do you remember where she was born? She was born in Haiti.
Do you remember what the Haitians have accomplished for you through the literacy program to help you develop your country?
How do you consider the haitian communities all over Canada? Do you have any respect and appreciation for Haitian-Canadians citizens?
Your willing to sustain the haitian government to destroy any step of democracy progression in Haiti is questionable.Be assure that today,your position is a clear sign that you are ready to help Preval to kill more people all over Haiti.However, do you know that also, the tactics that you use to do like, Martelly T-Shirts are known by anyone who knows the way Preval and his associates use to do to avoid their responsabilities in the massacres , mass killings amd genocides over years and years in Haiti?
You better stop doing that.