Election

The municipal election in North Miami is over and the Haitian community has elected two of its own to represent them in the management of the city.

Haitian American Lucie Tondreau, has been elected mayor of North Miami, holding for the first time an elected position. She faced in the second round the former Mayor of the City, Kevin Burns

Philippe Bien-Aime, a newcomer in politic, won over Jacques Despinosse, another Haitian American with 2/3s of the vote to become District 3 City Council.

The evolution of the Haitian community in Florida in Picture

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The field is getting crowded. The next election in Haiti is definitely going to be something interesting. According to The Associated Press, Richard Morse, manager of the Hotel Oloffson and the leader of the musical band RAM, already met with Former Haitian President Jean Bertrand Aristide three times in the past two weeks to discuss the possibility of his wife, Lunise Exume Morse, to run for the Senate seat under Fanmi Lavalas banner.

Richard Morse is a first cousin to president Michel Martelly. He left the government last January for what he called "corruption" in the National Palace. The Morses are considering for Lunise Exume Morse to run as candidacy for the west department in the next election likely to take pale in 2013 or 2014.

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Another representative of the Executive government has taken control. The 9 members of the College Transitional of Permanent Electoral Council (CTCEP), have elected the various members to fulfill the various positions. Emmanuel Ménard, the representative of the Executive branch of government was elected president.

Here is the actual structure with their new positions:
Composition of the Bureau of CTCEP :
Emmanuel Ménard, Chair (Executive Branch)
Mary Clunie Dumay Miracles, Vice - President (Legislative Power)
Marie Carole Duclervil Floréal, General Secretary (Judicial Power)
Pierre Simon Georges, Treasurer (Legislative Power)
Applyx Felix, Advisor (Judicial Power)
Chantal Raymond, Advisor (Executive Power)
Léopold Berlanger, Advisor (Judicial Power)
Margareth Giraud St-Louis, Advisor (Executive Power)
Joseph Néhémy, Advisor (Legislative Power)

I have a Panic attack.

I don't know about you but I feel that the Government is either lucky, influencial or is working to get control of the CTCEP at any cost.

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Currently the Haitian Parliament is experiencing a high rate of absenteeism, and without a quorum cannot vote for a Permanent Electoral Council (PEC). The PEC is responsible for holding "free, fair, and inclusive elections", which have already been stalled 14 months. But while a delay exists in putting together a PEC, President Martelly has appointed a nine-member Transitional College of Permanent Electoral Council (TCPEC). The CTCEP organizes the legislative and local elections, while the PEC tabulates votes cast on Election Day.

The CTCEP is made up of three departments representing judiciary, legislative, and executive branches of the government. It is required by law to be comprised of four women and five men. President Martelly disclosed names of three appointees to the Executive Department in Port-au-Prince last Saturday: Chantal Raymond, Margareth Lamur Saint-Louis, and Emmanuel Ménard. All three appointees must be vetted by Council of Ministers (COM), before they can take an oath of office and be seated.

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President Martelly went on the attack last week when he heard Parliament had nominated Nehemie Joseph to be on the provisional electoral council. Parliament feels Joseph, who formerly sat on the Supreme Council of the Judiciary, will best support the electoral council's mission: to run a fair, transparent, and impartial tabulation of voter ballots on Election Day.

No one knows what makes Martelly challenge Joseph's nomination. All Martelly says is a conspiracy to undermine his administration is the reason behind the nomination. Martelly and his advisor, Joseph Lambert, say Parliament's unacceptable choice of Joseph is reason enough to keep the unsavory Josue Pierre-Louis on the electoral council.

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Haiti President Michel Martelly inducted Jacques Letang, President of the Bar of Coteaux, as the newly-appointed Representative of the Bars Federation of Haiti (FBH). He will provide legal counsel to the Superior Council of the Judiciary (CSPJ), in place of Nehemy Joseph, who recently resigned.

Letang, also Vice President of the Bar Federation of Haiti, has a double Masters of Law degree, issued by the Université Catholique of Lyon. After earning his advanced law degrees, he has held the office of Magistrate, recently becoming a partner in newly-established law firm, Avocats & Avocats LP, International Lawyers Group.

At the swearing-in ceremony, those in attendance included presidents of Parliament's upper and lower houses, Simon Dieuseul Desras, and Jean Tolbert Alexis; Minister of Justice, Jean Renel Sanon, and CSPJ President, Me Arnel Alexis Joseph.

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Campaign season in Haiti is nearly always tense, with bi-partisan supporters of each party undercutting one other to get their candidate into office. A U.S. Department of Justice observer, who conducts immigration reviews for foreigners seeking refuge in the U.S., views the problem as two-fold.

First, voter-initiated fraud is driven by absence of a civil-service system, in which citizens can serve their communities in different capacities. Such positions are non-political and confer job stability. Not only is there job security, but also assurance of rising to higher levels of responsibility with commensurate pay.

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Election night is one of the most important events in a country. Every news show is covering the night, as reporters scatter around and get the facts right. For a reporter, covering the election night is both exciting and intimidating because all eyes and ears will be on you. There's no room for mistakes and you have to be updated as much as possible. Otherwise, you will appear incompetent and no one would want to pay attention to your report. Here is a short guide to help you do your job excellently during the much-awaited election night.

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The CEP dealt with a chaotic election in November 2010. Despite street protests and chaos that led to the death of two people, the CEP declared the election a success. CEP President Galliot Dorsainvil made the announcement after validating all the polls in more than 1,400 stations across the country.

It was a very controversial election, with countless of protests against electoral fraud. Even 12 of the presidential candidates have accused the government and the electoral commission of conspiracy.

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It does not matter if you are upset with the decision. It does not matter if you want to start a protest movement. The reality is Permanent Electoral Council is a fact in Haiti. You might think it's illegal, a serious error, made up of illegitimate members, can only be subordinate to the Executive, will likely plunge the country into a crisis. That is beside the fact.

The inauguration of the first 6 members of the Permanent Electoral Council that were appointed recently took place one on August 21, 2012 by President Michel Martelly. Mr Josué Pierre-Louis was appointed President of the new CEP.

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