By The Associated Press
PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti — Apr 5, 2016, 6:28 PM ET
The head of Haiti’s revamped electoral council said Tuesday that the nine-member body is facing numerous hurdles in concluding a troubled election cycle that began last year.
Council President Leopold Berlanger told reporters that organizers sworn in last week “inherited a crisis” and can’t issue a new electoral calendar until a slew of challenges are resolved. As part of their evaluation, the new electoral organizers are even trying to determine how much money remains to hold elections, he said.
Berlanger ticked off so many challenges that it appeared there would be no way a twice-postponed presidential and partial legislative runoff could take place this month as hoped.
A political accord negotiated in February tentatively set the vote for April 24, but lately it has been hard to find any political figures or analysts who believe that date is possible.
Violent opposition protests and public suspicions of electoral fraud favoring former President Michel Martelly’s chosen successor derailed a January runoff. It was first postponed in December.
On Tuesday, Berlanger said any verification of disputed results from electoral rounds last year would have to be authorized by a “political decision.” He said Haiti’s electoral organizers could not make a decision to verify votes disputed by political factions.
He has already started to obfuscate, saying he has been handed a crisis. This will lead to his having commission to recount, and evaluate the first ballot. Recounting should not take much time, but reevaluating could take forever.
He will create other challenges, supported by CEP members, who have also been paid.
We will see Danton Leger continue with his Witch Hunt that will have many Interdiction Notices filed, and many members of the Martelly – Lamothe team with challenged integrity.
I can see an immediate attack on PHTK leadership, by Leger
If the attacks on the Martelly – Lamothe team are severe enough, Berlanger could create a situation in which he declares so much fraud by PHTK that Jovenel is ruled out, even though there is absolutely no truth in this.
Truth doesn’t seem to have a place in Haitian politics..
We will then see Moise Jean-Charles and Maryse Narciss competing – Lavalas vs Lavalas.