Schedule elections, U.S. Congress urges Haiti president

BY JACQUELINE CHARLES

jcharles@MiamiHerald.com

Haitian President René Préval is being urged to move faster to schedule presidential and parliamentary elections in an earthquake-battered Haiti or risk losing the confidence of the U.S. Congress.

The warning comes from a high-ranking influential member of Congress, who in an eight-page report obtained by The Miami Herald, calls for Préval, whose presidential mandate ends in 2011, to “issue the appropriate decree establishing an official date for presidential and parliamentary elections, without delay.”

“Our government is sympathetic to the plight of Haitians, as demonstrated by the assistance our military, diplomats and development experts provided in the wake of the disaster,” Sen. Richard Lugar, R-Ind., ranking member of the powerful Foreign Relations Committee, said. “But the positive effect of assistance programs will be limited if Haiti lacks a responsible, popularly-elected government.”

Préval has repeatedly expressed his desire to hold elections, telling Haitians as recently as last week during an appearance in the Dominican Republic to prepare themselves to go to the polls. And while he has been reluctant to announce a formal date until now, his advisers told The Miami Herald that a presidential decree authorizing the Provisional Electoral Council (CEP) to schedule the elections for Nov. 28 is currently under review and should be published in the coming days.

Meanwhile, the report calls on Préval and his government to show “strong leadership,” on the matter of elections and recommends that the U.S. State Department ask him to issue the presidential decree “in earnest” and restructure the membership of Haiti’s beleaguered CEP in consultation with the international partners in a way that “demonstrates a clear political commitment to contesting credible elections.”

The State Department is also being urged to ask donors to disburse a portion of the estimated $38 million needed to hold elections as soon as Préval issues the decree. The State Department also is being asked “to seek an agreement with the CEP and all political parties, including factions of Fanmi Lavalas, to ensure that the parties meet the CEP’s legal requirements and are not excluded from elections because of perceived technicalities.”

“The outpouring of goodwill and resources by the United Sates and the international community should be leveraged by Haiti’s leaders to catalyze compromises on contentious issues so that all sides can go forward and rebuild Haiti together,” Lugar said.

Mark Schneider, a Haiti observer and head of the International Crisis Group, said reconstruction in Haiti also means rebuilding democratic institutions.

“Good elections this year are essential to permit President Préval to achieve the orderly transition to a new elected government in which the people of Haiti and the international community will have confidence,” he said.

Schneider said the fact that Préval “has not yet managed, by restructuring the CEP, issuing the formal decree setting a date, or broad consultation to find a way to convince opposition political parties to focus positively on the coming elections,” allows for a continued “drumbeat of accusations against his government that adds to the general tension as reconstruction inevitably takes longer than anyone wants.”

The report, which will be made public on Thursday, comes as legislation to provide Haiti with billions of dollars in reconstruction aid stalls in Congress. Last month, the Senate Foreign Relations Committee agreed to give Haiti $2 billion over the next two years for reconstruction efforts. The amount was less than the $3.5 billion Sen. John Kerry, D-Mass., was seeking over the next five years. The House has yet to vote.

Though support for Haiti remains on Capitol Hill there is growing concern that a Haitian political crisis could derail U.S. efforts to help the country rebuild, especially as the catastrophic Jan. 12 quake becomes a distant memory and U.S. taxpayers become less concerned with things “foreign” as they increasingly focus on domestic issues such as unemployment and the approaching November elections.

“The people of Haiti are confronted with a unique opportunity to alter fundamentally the trajectory of their economic, social and political future,” Lugar said. “The United States and the international community have demonstrated their desire to support the people of Haiti as they attempt to realize this objective. But this commitment should not be taken for granted.”

The day after the Senate Foreign Relations Committee voted, Lugar dispatched two committee staffers to Haiti to assess the viability of holding presidential and parliamentary with 1.5 million people living in tends and under tarps and a government-estimated 300,000 dead.

Weeks earlier, Préval had met with top foreign diplomats from the United States, United Nations, Organization of American States, Caribbean Community, Canada and Brazil at the U.N. compound in Port-au-Prince to discuss the findings of a UN report that found elections are possible “technically, logistically and financially,” but there are things Préval must do to kick-start the process.

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COMMENT: HAITIAN-TRUTH.ORG

Senator Lugar, and other foreigners simply do not understand the Haitian Game.

Rene Preval has no intention of holding a free-and-fair election this year, or any other year. Since 2006 he has been maneuvering to hold onto power…either himself, or though a chosen replacement. We have even seen him suggest his wife as a possible candidate…in a sort of Argentinean solution.  She is as big a thief as Rene Preval, and in better health.

One need only look at Preval’s past actions to understand where he is going now. Look at January 1999 when he allowed Parliament to expire and then ruled by Decree for 18 month…until forced to name a government and hold elections.

He has allowed the cocaine traffic, controlled by his associates, to increase 300 percent over the past few months. Funds from this crime will be used to buy any election that may be held.

Unless real, and credible threats are made – against Preval and his criminal team – everyone will be made to look like fools. The one thing you must understand is that Preval cannot be trusted….PERIOD!!

And, he hates the United States.

Haiti must have a new and really independent electoral council. It cannot be headed by Preval’s first cousin, or his mistress, as have past CEPs.

We need action now in order to have an election in November…

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2 thoughts on “Schedule elections, U.S. Congress urges Haiti president

  1. By any means, we have to remove all these criminals from power.It will take a little bit and some tactic and strategy as well, but, we have to. No matter what,we need to use elections steps to do so. Whatsoever will comes next,Elections, Elections, Elections must be held soon in Haiti, Venezuela, Cuba, Panama, Bolivia, Colombia,Jamaica,all the islands among countries so called CARICOM GROUP, in general in Americas,because we need to reset up rules of Liberty and Freedom in the New Word.

    There will no place to hide Criminals in the region any more. We are responsible to make sure that people are safe and free.Haitian government guys would like to stay in power for ever ti bring and create more trouble over the Continent. Haiti is a mess. Haiti is a barrel of powder which could put fire all over the region if we do not stop the process of dictatorship among these gangsters using politic to cover their appetite and kill more and more human beings nationally and aboard.

    They are using USA money to establish their own style of government but in reality they are planning something else. We know them, we are following them. The time is come to halt their movements and actions.

    We ca not be damn forever.

    Bravo, US Congress members, you start understanding these bad guys. Hurry up, otherwise, the populations will act badly and create more trouble in the region all around.

    Good job brethren!

  2. It would appear that the Americans are willing to release funding even if Preval does not name a really independent Electoral Council.

    However, the Canadians have said they will not release any of the promised funding until there is a truly independent Electoral Council.

    As usual, the Americans are willing to dilute the reality and accept something less than what should be done to cure a disease. Their infection could kill Haiti.

    The Canadian medicine could cure our problems.

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