Haitian elections, 2006
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The 2006 Elections in Haiti, to replace the interim government of Gerard Latortue put in place after the 2004 Haiti rebellion, have been delayed four times since they were originally scheduled for October and November 2005. The elections have now been reset for February 7, 2006 (first round) and March 19, 2006 (second round).[1] The election process has seen many controversies, including the delays themselves, threats to boycott by one of the major political parties, ongoing political violence, and one candidate being declared ineligible despite a Supreme Court decision.
The elections are taking place as Haiti is under the occupation of MINUSTAH, a controversial multi-national U.N. force that has occupied the country since the overthrow of former President Jean-Bertrand Aristide.
On election day, due to many organizational problems, a shortage of election workers, missing ballots, and extremely long line-ups, the voting hours were extended by at least two hours.[2]
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Reasons for the delay
There are many reasons the Haitian elections have had to be delayed. Due to a lack of funding, they were not able to meet the voter registration deadline set for early August. In addition there is considerable unrest in parts of Haiti, particularly the Port-au-Prince slums where some pro-Aristide forces have been behind resistance attacks on the new government, and where the U.N. and the Haitian National Police have been accused of commiting massacres and targetted killings of anti-occupation protesters and organizers. However, the inability to register voters in the time allocated seems to be the primary reason for the extensions. As of August, only about 1.5 million, or a quarter of eligible voters, had registered. Progress has been made in the month since, however, and as of September 2, 2005, 700,000 or about half of eligible voters had been registered. There is also concern that only 900 voting stations will be placed throughout Haiti, in comparison to the many thousands of stations that existed during the previous election.
On January 25, 2006, Haiti's election authorities announced that no voting stations would be placed in Cite Soleil, an impoverished city which holds between three and six hundred thousand residents, most of whom are supporters of Lavalas/Aristide.[3]
Presidential Candidates
Among the more known figures are René Préval, a former prime minister and president, and a Lavalas member; Guy Philippe, a former police chief and rebel leader of the 2004 Haiti Rebellion; the currently (Dec. 2005) imprisoned priest, Gérard Jean-Juste of the Lavalas party; and Dumarsais Simeus, a Haitian-American industrialist.
René Préval
Préval is a former president of Haiti who served from 1996 to 2001. He is the second president of Haiti to leave office due to the natural expiration of his term. Préval was in exile during the latter years of the dictatorship of Jean-Claude Duvalier but returned to work in charitable organizations after Duvalier's fall. He served as Prime Minister under Aristide during his first term, until the military coup d'état that overthrew Aristide in 1991. In 1996 he was elected president under the Fanmi Lavalas party and served out his term ending in 2001.
Under his previous administration Préval was a big reformer, most notably in the privatization of government companies, and will be expected to continue down a similar path if he is to be elected for a second term. His dealings with the IMF have been controversial. The unemployment rate in Haiti was quite high under Préval's previous government, but it did fall down to some of its lowest levels since the fall of Duvalier at the end of his term and continued to fall until the rebellion of 2004.
During his campaign, he has sought to distance himself from any former association with the Lavalas party. Preval supports the current occupation of Haiti by U.N. forces, saying they "should stay as long as it is necessary",[4] in contrast to Aristide and many members of Lavalas who denounce the U.N. forces and accuse them of carrying out a campaign of repression and violence at the behest of the U.S., France, and Canada.
Charles Henri Baker
Charles-Henry Jean-Marie Baker (b.June 3 1955 in Port-au Prince) is a Haitian industrialist with US residency. He initially billed himself as an independent and has allied himself with the Komba de Chavannes Jean Baptiste and Evans Lescouflair party. Baker is a former member of Groupe 184, a loose federation of business leaders, church officials and NGOs associated with the US federal government funded USAID and NED, opposed to the Jean-Bertrand Aristide government in 2004. Baker is widely considered the candidate of choice of Haiti's wealthy ruling class as well as the favoured candidate of the international business community.
Leslie François Manigat
Manigat was the first democratically elected president of Haiti, elected in 1988 after the fall of Jean-Claude Duvalier's dictatorship. However the turnout for the election was very low and just a few months later Manigat's government was overthrown by General Henri Namphy. Manigat spent 23 years in exile during the reign of François Duvalier. In 1979 he formed a polical party in Caracas with other exiled political opponents called the Rally of the National Progressive Democrats. In 1987 the first attempt at a democratic election was unsuccessful as 34 people were killed. Elections were moved up to February 1988 and Manigat won with many political parties boycotting. He had the backing of the military but once in office he sought to have a greater control over the military in an effort, according to him, to crack down on corruption. Following the coup d'état by General Namphy, Manigat worked as guest scholar in Washington D.C., Paris, and Geneva.[{{fullurl:}}#endnote_manigatbackground]
Guy Philippe
Philippe is best known for his role in the 2004 Haiti Rebellion which overthrew the government of Jean-Bertrand Aristide due to, in part, allegations of election fraud in the 2000 parliamentary elections and other issues. Philippe's involvement can be traced back to 2000 when he was forced to flee to the Dominican Republic. He had been a police chief in Cap-Haïtien when he was accused of masterminding a coup attempt against the Aristide government, which he denies any involvement in (and no proof has yet to be uncovered). When unrest turned to rebellion in 2004, Philippe announced that he was joining with coup forces and quickly took a leadership role, which he shared with co-leader Louis-Jodel Chamblain, who is considered a notorious war criminal by some. After Aristide was removed from the country in a US registered plane, Philippe and his army put down their guns in favor of the UN peacekeeping force.
On July 11, 2005, Guy Philippe announced he would run for president for the Front for National Reconstruction (FRN) party. The FRN is also his guerilla group which was involved in the rebellion of 2004. Early in 2005 the FRN became recognized as a political party. Philippe has been critical of the administration of the interim government, blaming them for the slow process of setting up registration centers throughout the country. Early on he was considered a frontrunner in the race but has lately fallen back in the pack.
Marc Bazin
Bazin is a former Minister of Finance and Economy under the dictatorship of Jean-Claude Duvalier, and has also served as an official for the World Bank. In the 1990 elections Bazin received 14% of the votes, losing out to Jean-Bertrand Aristide. During the temporary coup d'état that replaced Aristide in 1991, Bazin was selected as the Prime Minister.
Bazin is a conservative politician who has seeked to bring in foreign investment into Haiti. For the 2006 elections he is running in an alliance with his MIDH (Mouvement pour l'Instauration de la Démocratie en Haiti) party and the popular Fanmi Lavalas.[{{fullurl:}}#endnote_bazinlavalas] Bazin has been a bitter enemy of Aristide so it is somewhat surprising that this alliance has formed.
Ineligible Candidates
Image:Haiti gerard jean juste arrete.jpg
Gérard Jean-Juste
Jean-Juste is a Roman Catholic priest, Liberation theologian and supporter of the Fanmi Lavalas party in Port-au-Prince. He is well known for his close relations with former President Jean-Bertrand Aristide.
Most recently, on July 21, 2005, he was arrested at a funeral by police following his return from a trip to Miami in connection with the abduction and subsequent murder of journalist Jacques Roche. While Jean-Juste was at the funeral of Roche, he was assaulted by other attendees before being placed under custody by the police. Jean-Juste was out of the country at the times of both Roche's abduction (July 10) and the discovery of his mutilated, bullet-riddled body (July 14). On July 28, 2005 Amnesty International named Jean-Juste a "prisoner of conscience".[{{fullurl:}}#endnote_amnestyjuste] Father Jean-Juste remains in prison while his files are under review by judges. No formal chages have been made against him.
In August officials of the Fanmi Lavalas party threatened to boycott the elections if Jean-Juste, and other alleged political prisoners, were not released. They believe the arrest, made by the current government which is an opposition party to Lavalas, is an effort to prevent Lavalas from once again winning in elections. In September, the party attempted to register Jean-Juste as a candidate for president, but they were denied. The provisional electoral council said that electoral law requires candidates to register in person. This situation has continued, whereas some hardline members of the party are still considering boycott, while most of the party now supports Marc Bazin; though the members of the general population who identify themselves as Lavalas supporters will likely vote for René Préval. On Febuary 7, 2005, Jean-Juste formally endorsed Rene Preval.[5]
Dumarsais Siméus
Siméus is a wealthy businessman, owning Simeus Foods in Fort Worth, Texas. in the United States. Originally he is from Pont-Sondé in Haiti, where he grew up working the land for his poor rice-farming father. Eventually they moved to the USA so that Demarsais could go to college, and he eventually graduated from Howard University with an electrical engineering degree. Politically, Siméus developed extensive ties to the U.S. Bush administration, including serving on Jeb Bush's Haiti Task Force and making major donations to the Republican Party. His campaign manager, Robert Allyn, worked on the campaigns for George W. Bush.[{{fullurl:}}#endnote_simeusbushties1][{{fullurl:}}#endnote_simeusbushties2] Siméus declared his intention to run for president of Haiti in September 2005 as the candidate for the Tet Ansanm party.
There has been some controversy over whether or not Siméus is qualified to run for president. Under the 1987 constitution a presidential candidate must have lived in a real property that they own in Haiti for a period of five years prior to the date of election. Of course Siméus has not lived in Haiti for that length of time. The Supreme Court has ruled, now twice, that Siméus' name should be added to the ballot because he qualifies due to special circumstances, but the election officials have refused because he holds U.S. citizenship and the constitution forbids foreign nationals from running. Following the second ruling, the provisional government dismissed five justices, which many believe was done as punishment. One problem of getting Siméus on the ballot is that it would mean that elections would have to be delayed further than their scheduled January 8 date because the ballots have already been printed. Siméus responded critically to the dismissal of the justices, calling it a violation of the seperation of powers.
Siméus is a popular figure with many Haitians living in the United States and Canada because he is seen as an outsider who has not (as of yet) been infected with the corruption that insiders are already a part of. Indeed this is a major part of Siméus' campaign as he says, "The politics of the last 200 years has failed. The status quo has created a cycle of poverty and violence, illiteracy and economic failure in Haiti, hurting our people, breaking our spirit, threatening the lives and futures of our brothers and sisters. In the past we have had politics of division ahate, poverty and greed, politics that tear things down... now Haiti needs to make a change, heading in a new direction of unity, hope and prosperity."[{{fullurl:}}#endnote_simeuswebsite] Due to the issues with getting on the ballot, Siméus has not had the opportunity to develop a clear strategy in his campaign, but he has touched on issues of economic recovery, providing clean water, and better health care for all. Siméus is the only known candidate who used the internet to promote his candidacy, using a web blog operated at his official site.
Other notable candidates
- Evans Paul, Democratic Alliance
- Luc Mesadieu, Independent
- Dany Toussaint, MODEREH
- Further information: List of candidates in the Haitian presidential election, 2006, and [[{{{2|}}}]], and [[{{{3|}}}]], and [[{{{4|}}}]], and [[{{{5|}}}]], and [[{{{6|}}}]], and [[{{{7|}}}]], and [[{{{8|}}}]], and [[{{{9|}}}]]
Delays
Elections in Haiti were originally scheduled to take place starting on October 9, 2005 with the municipal election, followed by national elections on November 13, 2005, and a second round on December 18. In August the electoral council decided to move the municipal elections to an undetermined date in late December to allow for more focus to be placed on meeting the (new) November 6 date for presidential elections. On September 7 the dates were again changed, this time for the presidential elections. The first round of voting was moved back to November 20 and the second round on January 3, 2006. On November 18 the date for presidential and legislative elections were postponed for the third time; they were to take place on December 27, with a run-off to be held on January 31, 2006. On November 25, the date was set back yet again, making this the fourth time total; they were to take place on January 8 and February 15, 2006, respectively. The election is being postponed yet again but a date has not yet been announced, although February 7, 2006 is reported to be the likely date for the first round. The municipal elections which were originally set to be held on December 11, 2005, have been postponed to March 5, 2006. When announced officially, they will be the fifth set of election dates for a new government since July. Originally, the hand-over of power to the elected government was set for February 7, 2006, but this date has also been pushed back, without an official new date being given.
The first round of presidential elections was last scheduled to take place on January 8, 2006, but that date was delayed on December 30. Currently there are concerns over voting stations which are either not set up or without adequate workers and also with voter identification cards which have not been handed out to most people. The electoral council is expected to make an announcement sometime this week on whether the elections will stay as they current are or delayed further. Meanwhile, a group of 20 parties, members of the National Council of Political Parties, have demanded the removal of Latortue, to be replaced by a national coalition government in charge of organizing the elections 90 days after taking office.[6]
Results
Presidential Results
| Candidate | Party | Votes | % |
|---|---|---|---|
| -- | -- | -- | -- |
| -- | -- | -- | -- |
| -- | -- | -- | -- |
| -- | -- | -- | -- |
| -- | -- | -- | -- |
| Totals | -- |
Opinion Polls
Two opinion polls were taken in November 2005. The first to be released was the poll taken by CID Gallup, a Latin American polling group with close ties to U.S. based Gallup. The second polling was taken by a political consulting firm, The Democracy Group, on behalf of the National Organization for the Advancement of Haitians, a group for the restoration of democracy in Haiti, of which Dumarsais Siméus is a member.
CID-Gallup
| Candidate | Party | Votes | % |
|---|---|---|---|
| René Préval | Independent | 384 | 32% |
| Dumarsais Siméus | Tet Ansanm | 252 | 21% |
| Leslie Manigat | RDNP | 60 | 5% |
| Marc Bazin | MIDH | 48 | 4% |
| Serge Gilles | Fusion des Sociaux-démocrates | 48 | 4% |
| Evans Paul | Democratic Alliance | 48 | 4% |
| Guy Philippe | FRN | 48 | 4% |
| Charles Henri Baker | Independent | 24 | 2% |
| Dany Toussaint | MODEREH | 24 | 2% |
| Other | -- | 264 | 22% |
| Totals | 1,200 |
NOAH-TDG
| Candidate | Party | Votes | % |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dumarsais Siméus | Tet Ansanm | -- | 34% |
| René Préval | Independent | -- | 30% |
| Charles-Henry Baker | Independent | -- | 7% |
| Marc Bazin | MIDH | -- | 5% |
| Evans Paul | Democratic Alliance | -- | 5% |
| Other | -- | -- | 19% |
| Totals | -- |
es:Elecciones presidenciales de Haití (2006)
Footnotes
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|then= [{{{URL|http://www.hartford-hwp.com/archives/43a/409.html}}} {{{Title|Before realizing our hopes, it may be very costly for Haiti}}}].
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|then= {{{Publisher|South Florida Sun-Sentinel}}}.
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|then= [{{{URL|http://www.haitipolicy.org/content/3356.htm}}} {{{Title|Gallup Poll Shows Preval in the Lead}}}].
}}{{qif
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|then= URL accessed on [[{{{Date|December 17}}}]]{{qif
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|then= [{{{URL|http://web.amnesty.org/library/Index/ENGAMR360082005?open&of=ENG-HTI}}} {{{Title|Haiti: Arbitrary arrest/prisoner of conscience: Gérard Jean-Juste (m), aged 59, Catholic priest}}}].
}}{{qif
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- ^ {{qif
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|then= [{{{URL|http://www.simeus06.com/}}} {{{Title|A Time for Change}}}].
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