Election

Among a sea of supporters of about ten thousand, former Senator Jean-Charles Moïse has started his election campaign for the Presidency of Haiti in the Artibonite town of Saint Michel de l'Attalaye on Sunday September 27, 2015. Jean-Charles Moïse is a presidential candidate from the "Pitit Desalin" platform who has already viewed himself as the next Haitian President. Some time ago, he had promised that once he is in power, there will be no witch hunt, those guilty of financial offenses will face the consequences they deserve. He had earlier served many higher offices in the government. He was elected to three terms as Mayor of Milot, serving from 1994-2004, elected as Senator on June 21, 2009, and other responsible posts likes of, Chairman of the Senate Natural Resources and Rural Development Committee, Members of the Senate Committees on Foreign Affairs and External Cooperation Committee, Finance, Economy, Tourism, trade and Industry, Agriculture, etc.

Read more →  

On Thursday, August 20, the Provisional Electoral Council (CEP) has announced that the voters from 25 districts in Haiti, who could not complete their voting peacefully on August 9, will have another chance to recast their votes to elect their lawmakers. The CEP has decided to hold this first round of legislative elections along with the second round of voting on October 25, 2015.

On August 9, three voting centers in the capital city and numerous polling places in other sections of the country were closed because men armed with rocks and bottles attacked polling stations and several gangs overran a number of voting centers in Port-au-Prince and other areas, forcing election officials to halt balloting. Two people were killed in violence; the percentage of polling was reported to be less than the expectation, a meager 18%, and just three deputies of 119 were chosen as per CEP report. In the country's largest department (Ouest) where the capital is located, the overall percentage of polling was below 10%. Sixteen candidates have been disqualified for their alleged involvement in the August 9 crimes and violence. There will be a re-election in 25 polling stations out of a total 1,508 - that saw massive irregularities and low turnout. Nowhere in the country did the voter turnout exceed 50%. The CEP could not reveal the names of the successful candidates, because, the winners' names were not available on the website as it went down immediately following CEP's announcement. As per new report dated August 21, no senator was elected in the first round for deputies.

Read more →  

Recently, on September 26, 2015, the Haitian government has denied the authenticity of a memo alleged to be issued by "the Strategic Bureau for Jovenel Moïse" addressing the party leader of PHTK, President Martelly, and copies circulated among five high ranking party officials (like, President, Secretary, Treasurer, etc). The second page of the document clearly suggests, among other things, a clear indication, an attempt to keep the ruling party of President Martelly into power by defrauding the state. It reveals the PHTK party's effort to shield aggressive and detrimental campaign against their candidate Jovenel Moise and steps to make him victorious against his closest rival another presidential candidate, Jude Célestin, under the banner of "Alternative League for Progress and Haitian Emancipation" (LAPEH). The memo dated September 14, shows that when Jovenel Moise failed miserably to secure a laudable attendance of supporters in his hometown during a campaign rally in Cap-Haitien stadium, the officials of PHTK platform prepared 12 "non-negotiable" measures of President Michel Martelly which they believed, were required for Moise's win in the October 25 election. To finance Moise's victory a master plan was prepared. The request of the Haitian business organization to ban imports of 23 products by land was accepted in exchange of $2 million in campaigning finance. However, the document does not have any hand written signature.

Read more →  

The final results of the 1st round of legislative elections in Haiti are finally public. We finally learned that a total of 2 senators and 8 deputies have already been elected in the first round or since August 9, 2015.

Here are the candidates who have been elected in the first round:

Senators:
- Jean Renel Sénatus (West - LIDE), with 43.18%
- Youri Latortue, AAA, Artibonite Department with 46%.

Deputies:
- Cholzer Chancy, Ennery (Artibonite) - AAA
- Fritz Chery, Gros Morne (Artibonite) - AAA
- Garcia Delva, Dessalines (Artibonite) - PHTK
- A. Rodon Bien-Aimé , Cerca-Carvajal/Quartier de los Palis (Centre) - PHTK
- Gabriel Lyonel Jean, Lascahobas (Centre) - VERITE
- Rony Celestin, Cerca-la-Souce (Centre) - PHTK
- Bernard Anouce Jhon, Beaumon (Grand Anse) - PHTK
- Jackie Guerrier, Poite-à-Raquette (West) - INITE PATRIYOTIK

Read more →  

Fourteen candidates, who ran in the Haiti's first-round legislative elections on August 9, have been disqualified by the state election officials following violent disturbances at voting stations across the country. Two people were killed amid violence; the percentage of polling was reported to be less than the expectation.

Three polling stations in the capital city were vandalized and 26 were shut down early after fights broke out. During this election, nearly six million eligible voters would choose 119 deputies and 20 senators from more than 1,800 candidates registered from 128 registered political parties. It is still unknown whether the disqualified candidates have won, because the winners have not yet been announced. The polling stations across the country were supposed to remain open between 6:00 a.m. and 4:00 p.m. local time, but voters were frustrated at many stations because they opened late or were suspend to voting. They grew further exasperated when many of them could not find their names on the voter list. As a result, voting was extended for two hours at some polling stations. At the end of the day, Pierre-Louis Opont, the head of the country's Provisional Electoral Council, has said that 5 polling stations, about 5% of the total, were closed due to violence and other disruptions and one council staffer (Lucien Joseph Hébert) has vanished with election material!

Read more →  

The day before the Sunday's critical vote on August 9th, the election officials in Haiti were training polling station workers and hurrying delivering millions of ballots and other materials to the polling stations while some of them were located in the most remote part of the country.

Political parties were scrambling to get their agents' identification documents to witness and monitor the proceedings inside the polling stations, because the Provisional Electoral Council could not grant them on time. Although the Haitian police chief, Orélus Godson, with a sense of serenity had ensured before the election that the security forces would be implemented, security plans are in place, many people were scared on the election day, wondering if they go to vote, they might get shot at during the first round of parliamentary elections on Sunday, August 9. In Haiti, elections have long been synonymous with violence; it is the security on election day that is of concern.

Read more →  

The two agencies, such as the Provisional Electoral Council (CEP) and its partner United Nations Development Program (UNDP), both engaged in ensuring a fair election process in Haiti have put much emphasis on the active participation of country's youth force in the electoral process. During the first week of August, in a measure to transform the youths to active citizens, a series of training process was undertaken for a first group of 140 individuals. They were taught about the democracy and the importance of a fair and peaceful election, corruptions and electoral laws, how to cast a vote, are only some to name. These youths will again train their peers so that they can take an active part in the electoral process.

Read more →  

Provisional Electoral Council Disqualifies 14 Candidates for Insurrection at the Polls.

On voting day earlier this August orderliness did not prevail at some polling places in Haiti. Voters had come to cast ballots for both senate and deputy seats, but some 14 candidates running for parliamentary seats caused disruption, even violence at random polling sites. As a result of their actions the Provisional Electoral Council (PEC) disqualified them.

One of the disqualified senate candidates, Arnel Belizaire, was said to have used a firearm, shooting it in the air at a polling station. He was once a former Chamber of Deputies member, whose outrageous antics included bedding down in a room at the parliament building with a gun to protest an opposition action he did not agree with. The media tried to reach him for comment on the firearm incident, but he made himself unavailable. Instead he gave an interview at a local radio station, saying he was innocent of the allegations, and ". . . was not out in public on Election day." Other disqualified candidates were blamed for destroying voting booths, or preventing ballot casting or tallying.

Read more →  

Congresswoman Maxine Waters may contribute to Haiti Election.

U.S. Congressional member, Representative Maxine Waters, has inquired of the Federal Elections Commission (FEC) about the acceptability of making donations to Haitian candidates. Public Citizens', Craig Holman, said he has never heard of such a request coming from a Congressional member. He thinks the FEC may give Waters permission ". . . as long as this doesn't go for personal use."

This August Haiti is holding parliamentary elections, and it is probably too late to affect the outcome. But not the municipal and presidential elections still two months away. Voters will go to the polls on October 25th to cast their ballots.

Read more →  

We have learned that a candidate for Deputy for Delmas qualified to go to second round is a Convicted Cocaine trafficker. Ernst Jeudy was charged with cocaine trafficking after close to half-pound of cocaine on him by a trained dog at Miami International Airport

According to Miami Herald, Ernst Jeudy pleaded guilty for cocaine trafficking in 1987 and was sent to jail for three and half years

What do you think?

Read more →