Election

The 9 members of the electoral council, which will be responsible to organize the next Haiti election is expected to be installed soon, likely today. Unlike previously, this time the members have been proposed by different sectors of the Haitian society, including the Catholic Episcopal Conference, women's organizations, the Protestant, the business sector, human rights organizations, workers' unions, the Media, University and the Voodoo sectors.

Here is the list of the 9 members of the electoral council who will be installed soon:

Yolette Mengual,
Vijonet Demero,
Ricardo Augustin,
Pierre Louis Opont,
Jaccéus Joseph,
Lourdes Edith Joseph,
Pierre Manigat Jr.,
Néhémy Joseph,
Lucie Marie Carmel Paul-Austin

What do you think?

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Haitian Economy to Suffer if no Elections held by January 2015. The longer Haiti delays on having state and local elections the worse it is for the country's economy.

Elections have been set back time after time since 2011 while wrangling continues over issues like the seating of the Permanent Electoral Council. Once that problem was settled--or seemed to be--the legitimacy of a political appointee became a red herring to keep the government from setting a date for elections again.

What happens if Haiti does not hold elections by January 2015 (and it is very doubtful; it takes six months to prepare for an election) is President Martelly will rule by decree. Foreign investors are concerned if this should come to pass the risk for violent uprisings will force the country into a period of political instability, a climate antithetical to foreign investment. Currently, potential investors are reluctant to invest in Haiti due to its lack of good governance, and its effect on attracting enough investment to its tourism sector, because of political gridlock.

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Finally responding to the spate of questions surrounding the date for the Haitian elections, Prime Minister Laurent Lamothe said that people could count on the elections to be held no later than early 2015. The opportunity will come, he explained, after the six senators accused of holding the elections "hostage" will no longer be able to do so as their terms will have come to an end.

The long-awaited elections remains postponed due to the failure of the Haitian Senate to organize a vote for the proposed electoral law. While Prime Minister Lamothe says the country can be assured of an election by early next year if the standstill continues, he expressed hope that it will not come to that.

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Elections in Haiti are often not occasions one may set their clocks by, but the outside forces of the U.N. and US are now making mention of the most recent hold-up, not mincing words when pointing the blame as to whom is responsible.

Earlier in September, at the United Nations Security Council meeting, Samantha Power, the United States Ambassador to the U.N., fingered the so-monikered "Group of 6", an opposition group that has created the electoral stalemate. She pointed out at the gathering that this group of Senators had gone as far as to even prevent a debate on the electoral law. Also labelled as guilty, this time by the head of MINUSTAH, is a senatorial group who are against the El Rancho Accord.

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The last report about the Provisional Electoral Council (CEP) is it had been seated, a pre-condition for holding both legislative and local elections, now more than three years overdue. The sticky wicket has been the dubious appointment of Judge Wendelle Coq to the position of the Superior Council of the Judiciary's vice-presidency. Senator Moise Jean-Charles deems her appointment illegal. He fears because President Martelly has installed Judge Coq, he means to control the CEP through her.

And now it turns out the G6 Senators: Pierre Exius, Moise Jean-Charles, Jean-Baptiste Bien-Aimé, Jean Jeanty, John Joseph, and Wesner Polycarpe are not satisfied with the seating of CEP, claiming ". . . CEP does not inspire confidence and is not constitutional . . ." They point to Article 289 as the basis for their opposition to the CEP as it is seated now. The G6 laments Martelly and Senate President Desras expect G6 to resolve the crisis they created.

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Dr. Maryse Narcisse, received recently the nomination of the political party Fanmi Lavalas to potentially be the country's next president as early as 2015. The news was corroborated on Radio Kiskeya's 4pm news by party leaders Dr. Schiller Luidor and Dr. Louis Gerald Gilles.

Acting as the National Coordinator of the party, Narcisse has been featured in the controversial sanctioning of activists Deputy Arnel Belizaire and Senator Jean Charles Moise. Dr. Narcisse, who promotes democracy and has done much for education and community-based health care in the country, is a medical doctor. It is hoped her experience in healing can be of use to the party that is said to be suffering from a takeover of the "bourgeois makoutise". At present, the party is deemed to be in second place because of this crack in its foundation. Leading currently is the Inite Party, the political party of the former Haitian President, Rene Preval. One other issue Dr. Narcisse will have to contend with is the perception of her involvement with the United States Embassy in Haiti, as well as other private sector leaders.

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Provisional Electoral Council Seated but Senate Reluctant to Ratify Electoral Law

Superior Council of the Judiciary (CSPJ) appointed Yolette Mengual as a representative to the Provisional Electoral Council (CEP). She will be replacing Marie Floreal Dulcervil. The facts surrounding Mengual's appointment are hazy. It was reported five votes were cast for her and four against. But it is said there was a tie vote, but no tie vote count given, and Me Joseph, Council President, was forced to cast the deciding vote.

A new Parliamentarian, Max Mathurin, was also appointed, along with Nehemy Joseph and Leopold Berlanger, making a total of four appointees to the CEP, which completes the seating. Next the Senate must ratify the electoral law, but more delays are expected, concerning the ratification process. Senate President, Simon Desras, has lost the respect of his party but insists ". . . they are ready to "consider" the amendment of the electoral law, once the Electoral Council is complete. This is code for we are going to stall the process. Legislative and local elections have been delayed for over two years and the excuse has been the seating of the CEP.

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President Michel Martelly as well as Prime Minister Laurent Lamothe have been busy, traveling the country. They are often met with fans, people who have approved their job performance so far. Many in the general public believe that the Martelly-Lamothe team is in a campaign mode and actually running their campagn for the next general election,while the campaign season is not officially open

If that is the case, would you say that this is not fair to the opposition who can not campaign until then?

The Martelly-Lamothe may have the advantage at this time, however, it may not hold for long. Just think for a moment that Laurent Lamothe is the chosen person for Martelly, the one that Michel Martelly will support in the next election to replace him.

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The Coordinator Of Fanmi Lavalas, Dr. Maryse Narcisse,has been nominated to become the Fanmi Lavalas candidate for the next presidential election in Haiti. Some see it as a normal progression since she has been a long time party loyalist and a close friend of Jean Bertrand Aristide. However, many people think this nomination is no other than a test being conducted by the Fanmi Lavalas to collect some reactions before the ultimate decision is taken.

Here is something that would make one pose and think for a moment!

According to some theories being circulated, the Lavalas party is well aware of the limitation of Dr. Maryse Narcisse. Although she has been a loyal member of the party and even more important, the closest confident of former President Jean Bertrand Aristide, at least in public, she lacks certain skills necessary to bring the Lavalas party together to win the next presidential election.

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Haiti has taken another step toward becoming a stronger democracy. The U.S. government has certified the government of Haiti (GOH) has made a good faith effort to combat government corruption with the passage of a new anti-corruption law. President Martelly signed the legislation that severely penalizes government officials, including doing jail time, for misappropriation of government funds and other corruption activities in defiance of the new law.

Martelly also appointed a new provisional electoral council (PEC) to prepare a ballot for legislative and local elections, scheduled to be held later this year. Of the thirty members of the senate seated, 20 of them will be replaced, and members of the Chamber of Deputies will be completely re-sat. Now that the PEC has been appointed, Haiti is ready to hold free and fair elections, delayed for over two years.

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