The Election Impasse in Haiti
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Voting for Hope Elections in Haiti
COMMENTARY Voting for hope Elections in Haiti Peter Hallward ate in the night of 29 February 2004, after weeks of confusion and uncertainty, the enemies of Haitiʼs president Jean-Bertrand Aristide forced him into exile Lfor the second time. There was plenty of ground for confusion. Although twice elected with landslide majorities, by 2004 Aristide was routinely identified as an enemy of democracy. Although political violence declined dramatically during his years in office, he was just as regularly condemned as an enemy of human rights. Although he was prepared to make far-reaching compromises with his opponents, he was attacked as intolerant of dissent. Although still immensely popular among the poor, he was derided as aloof and corrupt. And although his enemies presented themselves as the friends of democracy, pluralism and civil society, the only way they could get rid of their nemesis was through foreign intervention and military force. Four times postponed, the election of Aristideʼs successor finally took place a few months ago, in February 2006. These elections were supposed to clear up the confusion of 2004 once and for all. With Aristide safely out of the picture, they were supposed to show how his violent and illegal expulsion had actually been a victory for democracy. With his Fanmi Lavalas party broken and divided, they were intended to give the true friends of pluralism and civil society that democratic mandate they had so long been denied. Haitiʼs career politicians, confined to the margins since Aristideʼs first election back in 1990, were finally to be given a chance to inherit their rightful place. -
Haiti: Developments and U.S. Policy Since 1991 and Current Congressional Concerns
Order Code RL32294 Haiti: Developments and U.S. Policy Since 1991 and Current Congressional Concerns Updated January 25, 2008 Maureen Taft-Morales Specialist in Latin American Affairs Foreign Affairs, Defense, and Trade Division Clare Ribando Seelke Analyst in Latin American Affairs Foreign Affairs, Defense, and Trade Division Haiti: Developments and U.S. Policy Since 1991 and Current Congressional Concerns Summary Following the first free and fair elections in Haiti’s history, Jean-Bertrand Aristide first became Haitian President in February 1991. He was overthrown by a military coup in September 1991. For over three years, the military regime resisted international demands that Aristide be restored to office. In September 1994, after a U.S. military intervention had been launched, the military regime agreed to Aristide’s return, the immediate, unopposed entry of U.S. troops, and the resignation of its leadership. President Aristide returned to Haiti in October 1994 under the protection of some 20,000 U.S. troops, and disbanded the Haitian army. U.S. aid helped train a civilian police force. Subsequently, critics charged Aristide with politicizing that force and engaging in corrupt practices. Elections held under Aristide and his successor, René Préval (1996-2000), including the one in which Aristide was reelected in 2000, were marred by alleged irregularities, low voter turnout, and opposition boycotts. Efforts to negotiate a resolution to the electoral dispute frustrated the international community for years. Tension and violence continued throughout Aristide’s second term, culminating in his departure from office in February 2004, after the opposition repeatedly refused to negotiate a political solution and armed groups took control of half the country. -
Lavalas Organizer Imprisoned by the Occupation Government Since May 17, 2004
Rezistans Lyrics by Serge Madhere, Recorded by Sò Anne with Koral La They have made us know the way to jail Shut us in their concentration camps But we have not lost sight of our goal We are a people of resistance Slavery, occupation, nothing has broken us We have slipped through every trap We are a people of resistance Translated from kreyol © 2003 Annette Auguste (Sò Anne) Sò Anne is a Lavalas organizer imprisoned by the occupation government since May 17, 2004. She is one of more than 1,000 political prisoners who have been arrested since the coup. The vast majority have not been charged or tried. For more information about the campaign to free Sò Anne and all Haitian political prisoners, visit www.haitiaction.net. THE ACHIEVEMENTS OF LAVALAS IN HAITI We Will Not Forget THE ACHIEVEMENTS OF LAVALAS IN HAITI n February 29, 2004, the constitutional government of Haiti was overthrown, bringing Haiti’s ten-year experience with democracy to a brutal end. Orchestrated Oby the United States, France and Canada, the coup forced President Jean-Ber- trand Aristide into exile and removed thousands of elected officials from office. A year after the coup, the Haitian people continue to demand the restoration of democracy. On September 30, 2004, tens of thousands of Haitians took to the streets of Port-au-Prince. Braving police gunfire, threats of arrests and beatings, they marched while holding up their five fingers, signifying their determination that Aristide complete his five-year term. On December 1, 2004, while then-Secretary of State Colin Powell visited Haiti to express support for the coup regime, Haitian police massacred dozens of prisoners in the National Penitentiary who had staged a protest over prison conditions. -
Election-Violence-Mo
UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE EXECUTIVE OFFICE OF IMMIGRATION REVIEW IMMIGRATION COURT xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx In the Matter of: IN REMOVAL PROCEEDINGS XX YYY xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx DECLARATION OF ZZZZZZ I, ZZZZZ, hereby declare under penalty of perjury that the following statements are true and correct to the best of my knowledge. 1. I do not recall having ever met XX YYY in person. This affidavit is based on my review of Mr. YYY’s Application for Asylum and my knowledge of relevant conditions in Haiti. I am familiar with the broader context of Mr. YYY’s application for asylum, including the history of political violence in Haiti, especially surrounding elections, attacks against journalists and the current security and human rights conditions in Haiti. Radio in Haiti 2. In Haiti, radio is by far the most important media format. Only a small percentage of the population can afford television, and electricity shortages limit the usefulness of the televisions that are in service. An even smaller percentage can afford internet access. Over half the people do not read well, and newspaper circulation is minuscule. There are many radio stations in Haiti, with reception available in almost every corner of the country. Radios are inexpensive to buy and can operate without municipal electricity. 3. Radio’s general importance makes it particularly important for elections. Radio programs, especially call-in shows, are Haiti’s most important forum for discussing candidates and parties. As a result, radio stations become contested ground for political advocacy, especially around elections. Candidates, officials and others involved in politics work hard and spend money to obtain favorable coverage. -
Haiti's National Elections
Haiti’s National Elections: Issues and Concerns Maureen Taft-Morales Specialist in Latin American Affairs March 23, 2011 Congressional Research Service 7-5700 www.crs.gov R41689 CRS Report for Congress Prepared for Members and Committees of Congress Haiti’s National Elections: Issues and Concerns Summary In proximity to the United States, and with such a chronically unstable political environment and fragile economy, Haiti has been a constant policy issue for the United States. Congress views the stability of the nation with great concern and commitment to improving conditions there. Both Congress and the international community have invested significant resources in the political, economic, and social development of Haiti, and will be closely monitoring the election process as a prelude to the next steps in Haiti’s development. For the past 25 years, Haiti has been making the transition from a legacy of authoritarian rule to a democratic government. Elections are a part of that process. In the short term, elections have usually been a source of increased political tensions and instability in Haiti. In the long term, elected governments in Haiti have contributed to the gradual strengthening of government capacity and transparency. Haiti is currently approaching the end of its latest election cycle. Like many of the previous elections, the current process has been riddled with political tensions, allegations of irregularities, and violence. The first round of voting for president and the legislature was held on November 28, 2010. That vote was marred by opposition charges of fraud, reports of irregularities, and low voter turnout. When the electoral council’s preliminary results showed that out-going President Rene Préval’s little-known protégé, and governing party candidate, Jude Celestin, had edged out a popular musician for a spot in the runoff elections by less than one percent, three days of violent protests ensued. -
Haiti: Fact Sheet
Received by NSD/FARA Registration Unit 07/09/2021 11:33:58 AM HAITI: FACT SHEET 2016 Election • President MoYse received 32.8% of votes in the first round of the 2015 elections held on October 25, 2015, qualifying for a runoff with the second-place finisher, Jude Celestin. • Jude Celestin subsequently raised, without evidence, allegations that the votes for President MoYse in the October poll were fraudulent. Violence was instigated by his supporters and in turn caused the cancellation of the second round. o These claims emerged despite the Organization of American States, who had "125 observers from 27 countries present from the opening of the polls up to the counting of the votes in all 10 departments of the country, visiting 487 voting centers", officially declaring that "in spite of some isolated instances, Haitian citizens with the will to vote were able to cast their ballots." o "Schools that serve as election centres and voting stations in various towns have been attacked and set on fire in recent days, and election materials in a border town were hijacked by gunmen" Haiti cancels presidential election as violence erupts. Associated Press, Jan 23, 2016 • Following the cancellation of the 2015 elections due to the violence, the former head of Haiti's Senate and National Assembly, Jocelerme Privert, was elected interim president by Parliament following a vote that took nearly 12 hours on February 14, 2016. • Fresh elections were re-run on November 20, 2016 and overseen by the Provisional Electoral Council (CEP). President MoYse won 55.6% of the popular vote and was inaugurated on February 7, 2017. -
Focus on Haiti
FOCUS ON HAITI CUBA 74o 73o 72o ÎLE DE LA TORTUE Palmiste ATLANTIC OCEAN 20o Canal de la Tortue 20o HAITI Pointe Jean-Rabel Port-de-Paix St. Louis de Nord International boundary Jean-Rabel Anse-à-Foleur Le Borgne Departmental boundary Monte Cap Saint-Nicolas Môle St.-Nicolas National capital Bassin-Bleu Baie de Criste NORD - OUEST Port-Margot Cap-Haïtien Mancenille Departmental seat Plaine Quartier Limbé du Nord Caracol Fort- Town, village Cap-à-Foux Bombardopolis Morin Liberté Baie de Henne Gros-Morne Pilate Acul Phaëton Main road Anse-Rouge du Nord Limonade Baie Plaisance Milot Trou-du-Nord Secondary road de Grande Terre-Neuve NORD Ferrier Dajabón Henne Pointe Grande Rivière du Nord Sainte Airport Suzanne Ouanaminthe Marmelade Dondon Perches Ennery Bahon NORD - EST Gonaïves Vallières 0 10 20 30 40 km Baie de Ranquitte la Tortue ARTIBONITE Saint- Raphaël Mont-Organisé 0 5 10 15 20 25 mi Pointe de la Grande-Pierre Saint Michel Baie de de l'Attalaye Pignon La Victoire Golfe de la Gonâve Grand-Pierre Cerca Carvajal Grande-Saline Dessalines Cerca-la-Source Petite-Rivière- Maïssade de-l'Artibonite Hinche Saint-Marc Thomassique Verrettes HAITI CENTRE Thomonde 19o Canal de 19o Saint-Marc DOMINICAN REPUBLIC Pointe Pointe de La Chapelle Ouest Montrouis Belladère Magasin Lac de ÎLE DE Mirebalais Péligre LA GONÂVE Lascahobas Pointe-à-Raquette Arcahaie Saut-d'Eau Baptiste Duvalierville Savenette Abricots Pointe Cornillon Jérémie ÎLES CAYÉMITES Fantasque Trou PRESQU'ÎLE Thomazeau PORT- É Bonbon DES BARADÈRES Canal de ta AU- Croix des ng Moron S Dame-Marie la Gonâve a Roseaux PRINCE Bouquets u Corail Gressier m Chambellan Petit Trou de Nippes â Pestel tr Carrefour Ganthier e Source Chaude Baradères Anse-à-Veau Pétion-Ville Anse d'Hainault Léogâne Fond Parisien Jimani GRANDE - ANSE NIPPES Petite Rivières Kenscoff de Nippes Miragoâne Petit-Goâve Les Irois Grand-Goâve OUEST Fonds-Verrettes L'Asile Trouin La Cahouane Maniche Camp-Perrin St. -
La Situation Politique Et Institutionnelle HAITI
HAITI 4 août 2016 La situation politique et institutionnelle Avertissement Ce document a été élaboré par la Division de l’Information, de la Documentation et des Recherches de l’Ofpra en vue de fournir des informations utiles à l’examen des demandes de protection internationale. Il ne prétend pas faire le traitement exhaustif de la problématique, ni apporter de preuves concluantes quant au fondement d’une demande de protection internationale particulière. Il ne doit pas être considéré comme une position officielle de l’Ofpra ou des autorités françaises. Ce document, rédigé conformément aux lignes directrices communes à l’Union européenne pour le traitement de l’information sur le pays d’origine (avril 2008) [cf. https://www.ofpra.gouv.fr/sites/default/files/atoms/files/lignes_directrices_europeennes.pdf ], se veut impartial et se fonde principalement sur des renseignements puisés dans des sources qui sont à la disposition du public. Toutes les sources utilisées sont référencées. Elles ont été sélectionnées avec un souci constant de recouper les informations. Le fait qu’un événement, une personne ou une organisation déterminée ne soit pas mentionné(e) dans la présente production ne préjuge pas de son inexistence. La reproduction ou diffusion du document n’est pas autorisée, à l’exception d’un usage personnel, sauf accord de l’Ofpra en vertu de l’article L. 335-3 du code de la propriété intellectuelle. Haïti : Situation politique et institutionnelle Table des matières 1. Panorama institutionnel, administratif et politique ................................................. 3 1.1. Les institutions .......................................................................................... 3 1.2. L’organisation administrative et territoriale ................................................... 3 1.3. Les principaux partis politiques .................................................................. -
Reconstructing Democracy
Reconstructing Democracy Joint Report of Independent Electoral Monitors of Haiti’s November 28, 2010 Election Let Haiti Live Organizations listed indicate participants in November 28th observer delegation Table of Contents Executive Summary I. Introduction II. Credibility and Timing of November 28, 2010 Election The CEP and Exclusions Without Justification Inadequate Time to Prepare Election Election in the Midst of Crises The Role of MINUSTAH III. Observations of the Independent Monitors IV. Responses from Haiti and the International Community Haitian Civil Society The OAS and CARICOM The United Nations The United States Canada V. Conclusions APPENDICES A. Additional Analysis of the Electoral Law B. Detailed Observation from the Institute for Justice and Democracy in Haiti Team C. Summary of Election Day 11/28/10, The Louisiana Justice Institute, Jacmel D. Observations from Nicole Lazarre, The Louisiana Justice Institute, in Port-au-Prince E. Observations from Alexander Main, Center for Economic and Policy Research F. Observations from Clay Kilgore, Kledev G. Voices of Haiti: In Pursuit of the Undemocratic, Mark Snyder, International Action Ties H. U.S. Will Pay for Haitian Vote Fraud, Brian Concannon and Jeena Shah, IJDH Executive Summary The first round of Haiti’s presidential and legislative election was held on November 28, 2010 in particularly inauspicious conditions. Over one million people who lost their homes in the earthquake were still living in appalling conditions, in makeshift camps, in and around Port-au- Prince. A cholera epidemic that had already claimed over two thousand lives was raging throughout the country. Finally, the election was being organized by a provisional electoral authority council that was hand-picked by President Préval and widely distrusted. -
Haiti 2013 Human Rights Report
HAITI 2013 HUMAN RIGHTS REPORT EXECUTIVE SUMMARY Haiti is a constitutional republic with a multi-party political system. President Michel Martelly took office in May 2011 following a two-round electoral process that, despite some allegations of fraud and irregularities, international observers deemed generally free and fair. The government did not hold partial Senate and local elections, delayed since October 2011, because of a continuing impasse between the executive, legislative, and judicial branches over the proper procedures to establish and promulgate an elections law and to organize elections. Authorities maintained effective control over the security forces, but allegations persisted that at times law enforcement personnel committed human rights abuses. The most serious impediments to human rights involved weak democratic governance in the country; insufficient respect for the rule of law, exacerbated by a deficient judicial system; and chronic corruption in all branches of government. Basic human rights problems included: isolated allegations of arbitrary and unlawful killings by government officials; allegations of use of force against suspects and protesters; overcrowding and poor sanitation in prisons; prolonged pretrial detention; an inefficient, unreliable, and inconsistent judiciary; rape, other violence, and societal discrimination against women; child abuse; allegations of social marginalization of vulnerable populations, including persons with disabilities and lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) persons; and -
Republic of Haiti
Coor din ates: 1 9 °00′N 7 2 °2 5 ′W Haiti Haiti (/ heɪti/ ( listen); French: Haïti [a.iti]; Haitian ˈ Republic of Haiti Creole: Ayiti [ajiti]), officially the Republic of Haiti (French: République d'Haïti; Haitian Creole: Repiblik République d'Haïti (French) [8] [note 1] Ayiti) and formerly called Hayti, is a Repiblik Ayiti (Haitian Creole) sovereign state located on the island of Hispaniola in the Greater Antilles archipelago of the Caribbean Sea. It occupies the western three-eighths of the island, which it shares with the Dominican Republic.[11][12] Haiti is 27 ,7 50 square kilometres (10,7 14 sq mi) in Flag Coat of arms size and has an estimated 10.8 million people,[4] making it the most populous country in the Caribbean Motto: "Liberté, égalité, fraternité" (French)[1] Community (CARICOM) and the second-most "Libète, Egalite, Fratènite" (Haitian Creole) populous country in the Caribbean as a whole. The "Liberty, Equality, Fraternity" region was originally inhabited by the indigenous Motto on traditional coat of arms: Taíno people. Spain landed on the island on 5 "L'union fait la force" (French) [2] December 1492 during the first voyage of Christopher "Inite se fòs" (Haitian Creole) Columbus across the Atlantic. When Columbus "Union makes strength" initially landed in Haiti, he had thought he had found Anthem: La Dessalinienne (French) [13] India or China. On Christmas Day 1492, Columbus' Desalinyèn (Haitian Creole) flagship the Santa Maria ran aground north of what is "The Dessalines Song" 0:00 MENU now Limonade.[14][15][16][17] As a consequence, Columbus ordered his men to salvage what they could from the ship, and he created the first European settlement in the Americas, naming it La Navidad after the day the ship was destroyed. -
Washington N'a Pas Tous Les Torts !
Haïti en Marche, édition du 27 Juillet au 02 Août 2016 • Vol XXX • N° 28 Un président Trump ne serait pas l’ami d’Haïti JACMEL, 23 Juillet – Donald Trump ne saurait être le Cela signifie, a dit Donald Trump, que dans toute décision meilleur ami du peuple haïtien à la Maison blanche. Lors d’une qu’il aura à prendre, s’il est élu président des Etats-Unis, il vérifiera conférence de presse, la veille de recevoir l’investiture du parti d’abord si c’est dans l’intérêt des Etats-Unis. Républicain, le jeudi 21 juillet écoulé, à Cleveland (Ohio), le Et il entend clairement : intérêts économiques. candidat à la présidentielle américaine de novembre prochain, a Aussi voit-on difficilement un tel personnage s’intéresser Donald Trump reçoit l’investiture Républicaine défini dans le détail son slogan ‘America first.’ à la convention du parti tenue à Cleveland (Ohio) (TRUMP / p. 7) Kenneth Merten Washington ‘appui moral’ de Washington n’a pas tous les torts ! JACMEL, 22 Juillet – Entre Haïti et les Etats- Washington manipule, l’Haïtien tantôt il en profite, Unis, chacun tend à accuser l’autre alors qu’il faudrait tantôt il dénonce mais dans les deux cas il n’a rien pu pour aux élections parler plutôt de torts partagés. (WASHINGTON / p. 5) Le président du CEP demanderait aux Etats-Unis de se définir avec plus de clarté P-au-P., 22 juillet 2016 [AlterPresse] --- Le coordonnateur (MERTEN / p. 6) Sén. dominicain Danilo Medina devant Commission Sén. Youri Latortue Le sénateur et homme d’affaires dominicain Danilo Medina comparait devant la commission présidée par le sénateur haïtien Youri Latortue sur l’usage insatisfaisant de fonds (Petrocaribe) dans des projets de construction confiés à des compagnies appartenant au parlementaire dominicain et restés inachevés (photo J.J.