vote - Haiti Observer Blog

At 5:05 PM, All Voting Centers are closed and the August 9, 2015 Voting day is now over, now the count has started.

Several thousands of Haitians were in the street today in direction of polling stations to vote. It has been over four years since Haitians were able to participate in an election. However, the voting day was plagued by delays, disorder and physical violence

Several polling stations across the country did not open at 6:00 AM as scheduled. The staff had to wait for ballots. In Centers, voters became upset as their name couldn't be found on the official voting lists.

Read more →  

It has been reported that people have not been able to vote in two
voting centers in the city of Archaie. The population is on the run as individuals earlier came in the voting centers and ran with urns which are the boxes where the ballots are deposited

For a step by step coverage of the "Haiti Election Day, August 9, 2015", please go to: http://www.haitiobserver.com/blog/haiti-election-day-august-9-2015-updated-by-the-minute.html

We are covering the event by the minute throughout the day. Keep refreshing the page as information is updated by the minute there.

Read more →  

5:05 PM - All Voting Centers closed and the count has started. Today election is marked by several irregularities. Polling stations across the country did not open on time as some ballot boxes were late to arrive. Voters were unable to their names in some official voting lists. In Port-au-Prince, at least three voting centers were closed prematurely after some people attempted to stuff ballot boxes and ripped up paper ballots. Political Parties observers were upset and in some places were involved in violence, and rock throwing as they were unable to observe the operation. Several scattered arrests were recorded at some polling stations. Official reactions were overall positive. Prime Minister Evans Paul as well as President Michel Martelly said the government was satisfied with the legislative elections.

Read more →  

It seems to me only the candidates who can motivate their base in the upcoming legislative elections in Haiti on August 9 have a real chance of winning in the first round. Another way of saying this, anyone can win this

According to a survey just released by the Observatory of Citizen Action by Public Authorities (OCAPH) just five days ahead of Haiti legislative elections only 15 percent of the people registered to vote will actually do so. Most Haitian voters are taking an " I Don't Care" attitude.

The Provisional Electoral Council (CEP) did launch some sensitization campaigns to get more people interested in voting; However, it has not been so far effective.

Read more →  

It is always good to ask questions and this particular questions is being discussed in many Haitian barber shops and parks where Haitians are gathered to play Dominos.

Just a quick history on the situation of North Miami Mayor Lucie Tondreau. Following her election as the new Mayor of North Miami this year, the election was contested by former mayor Kevin Burns, a former mayor himself but not of Haitian descent, on the ground that Lucie Tondreau did not meet residency requirement to run for office.

There is another level to the story. According to some of the supporters of Mayor Lucie Tondreau another former mayoral candidate, Dr. Smith Joseph, who happens to be Haitian-American, is also collaborating with the non Haitian-American Kevin Burns to remove Mayor Lucie Tondreau from office.

Read more →  

The elections were fraudulent! Tens of thousands of demonstrating René Préval supporters took to the streets, or rather, took the streets with this cry after the results of the February 7, 2006 first-round of elections called for a run-off. What had started as a slightly run-of-the-mill election demonstration, complete with burning barricades and the thick, black smoke they create, took a much more direct approach to being heard by the people who count, as the crowd stormed the Petion-Ville gem, Hotel Montana, where the press headquarters of the electoral council was located.

Already deeply stung by the ousting of President Aristide, the demonstrators mobilized after the CEP released figures that made a run-off necessary, though the early count had shown Rene Préval with a lead clearly over the needed 50%. Claims of vote-rigging, incomplete or inaccurate voter lists, sudden relocations of polling stations, discarding of uncounted ballots and direct accusations against the CEP President of tampering abounded. Further fueling the ire of the protestors, communities traditionally for Préval saw an average 3-4 hours of delays in opening; a striking contrast to the noticeably smoother running of stations in areas supporting Préval's contenders. In those areas there were significantly fewer complaints, leading to the assumption that the difficulties experienced by Préval's demographic were artificially and intentionally created. Announcements of sudden changes were made at the last minute and were sometimes contrary to the actual situations met with by voters.

Read more →  

During election season, candidates often challenge each other to a series of debates.

This is a both a risk and a window of opportunity for them. If they succeed, their poll numbers go up, and if they fail, they may lose votes. With so much at stake, it's prudent to prepare for the debate, so as to raise the chances of winning. Here are some guidelines to prepare for one.

When you reach the podium, have written down on your notepad three items you want to emphasize during the debate. When the moderator asks a question, think if one of your items can be inserted as part of the answer.

Read more →