Reply #27: If by democratically elected you mean... [View All]

[hellhathnofury]

Haiti

Country Reports on Human Rights Practices - 2000
Released by the Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor
February 23, 2001

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On May 21, about 60 percent of the country's 4 million registered voters went to the polls to select from some 29,000 candidates for 11,000 local and national posts. International and domestic observers agreed that despite some scattered irregularities (polling booth intimidation, ballot stuffing, and publication of voting results before polling booths were closed), the elections were generally free and fair. Two election-related deaths were reported in a suburb of Port-au-Prince, where a candidate and policeman exchanged fire in an altercation away from a polling booth. On May 22, the HNP arrested and charged Paul Denis, an opposition party leader and former senator, for possession of illegal weapons. He later was released amidst allegations the arrest was motivated politically.


While the initial voting was generally free and fair, serious irregularities in the counting of votes and the computation of winners in certain senate races compromised the election. A December report by the Organization of American States (OAS) concluded that the voting process began to deteriorate after the closing of the polls. For example, armed groups stole and burned ballot boxes in the departments of the Center, North, and Artibonite. The delivery of voting materials (ballots, ballot boxes, pens, ink, and voter registration lists) in Port-au-Prince and Cap Haitien was chaotic and a substantial number of these materials may have been lost. The election controversy became serious with the publication of the results of the Senate races. Under the Constitution and electoral law, a candidate must receive an absolute majority of votes cast in order to be elected in the first round of voting. If no candidate receives a majority, a second-round runoff is required. The Senate results published by the CEP announced that the ruling Fanmi Lavalas party won 16 of the 17 Senate seats in the first round. These results were based on what opposition parties and independent observers termed a flawed interpretation of both the Constitution and the electoral law... A preliminary evaluation conducted by the OAS found that only 9 Senate seats should have been decided in the first round, while 10 should have gone to a second round. President Preval responded to the three CEP resignations by appointing replacement council members loyal to FL, who immediately certified the Senate results without addressing the controversial counting method.

The international community, local civic groups, and opposition parties called on the Government to address the controversy. The CEP ignored these protests and on July 9, held second-round races for deputies. There were no senatorial second-round contests. With an almost unanimous boycott by opposition parties and candidates, voter turnout for this round was significantly lower than in May, at reportedly only 5 percent. All international and most domestic observers refused to participate in monitoring the second round.

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Domestic human rights and opposition parties continued to protest the election results. Following his resignation, CEP president Leon Manus fled the country after being threatened repeatedly. He then issued a statement that acknowledged that the methodology used in counting votes for the Senate was flawed. On June 15 and 16, bands of pro-FL militants shut down metropolitan Port-au-Prince with barricades and tire burnings to protest international refusal to certify the results. International missions led by the OAS unsuccessfully attempted to encourage resolution of the May 21 elections dispute.

The international community and most opposition parties refused to help or take part in the November 26 presidential elections because of the unresolved controversy surrounding the May elections. Due to the lack of international observers, the local press monitored the election process....

The November 26 elections took place amidst heavy police security and were characterized by low turnout--accounts vary from the 5 percent to 20 percent. Aside from a pipe bomb that exploded in the Port-au-Prince suburb of Carrefour and the burning of ballots during the morning in the city of Anse d'Hainault, the elections generally passed without disturbance. With the opposition boycott, former President Jean-Bertrand Aristide faced only token opposition and was elected to a 5-year term with a reported 91.5 percent of the votes cast.

http://www.state.gov/g/drl/rls/hrrpt/2000/wha/795.htm