PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti (sentinel.ht) – It is opaque which is worse for the Jistis nominee for President of Haiti, Michel Andre. Is it to lose the backing of chief opposition leader, Jean-Charles Moïse, or the support of long-time camerade, Newton Saint Juste, in his project to exclude former Prime Minister Laurent Lamothe from the presidential elections?

In either case, the lack of key challenges from Fanmi Lavalas (54), Pitit Desalin (28), Vérité (69) and many others who rallied against First Lady Sophia Martelly’s candidacy for the Senate, but not against Lamothe’s candidacy for presidency, places pressure on the Provisional Electoral Council (CEP) of Pierre Louis Opont to decide on a controversial issue:
whether it will take on the right of the people’s non-existent Parliament to disqualify Lamothe on basis of décharge or, under the circumstances, allow the Haitian people to have their say on election day in 2015.

Former Senator Jean-Charles Moïse went so far during the Saturday morning roundtable Ranmase to say he would rather the opportunity to face Lamothe, whom he characterized as ‘delinquent’, than to take away the chance for the Haitian people to make a clear choice.

Many believe an electoral process that is fair, in which all sides have had their say and the vote of the Haitian people is respected, is the only route to building the public’s civic confidence. The 2015 elections are not about one person but the Haitian people, they believe Jistis and others should withdraw complaints on ministerial décharges.

A certificat de décharge issued by the Haitian legislature is required of former ministers in order to take on certain posts in government but in the midst of a state-wide institutional collapse a lot of improvisations have been taken with hopes of maintaining principles of democracy, inclusion and liberty.