Most expensive elections are Haiti's worst-run in memory!

[guysanto*]

<blockquote><p align=justify> By Joseph Guyler Delva

PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti, Jan 30 (Reuters) - Haiti's first election since the ouster of Jean-Bertrand Aristide two years ago could be the most poorly organized in the brief democratic history of the troubled Caribbean nation, some candidates say.

Just a week before the election, many voters do not know where they will vote and others will have to walk miles (kilometers) to voting centers in a country rife with gang violence and where kidnappings have terrorized the capital, Port-au-Prince.

Presidential candidate Paul Denis said the Feb. 7 election will be a day of unprecedented frustration and anger for Haitian voters.

"The interim government, supported by the international community, chose deliberately to prevent people from voting by forcing them to walk eight hour
s to reach a voting center," Denis said. "It is going to be the worst election organized in Haiti's recent history. That's a scandal."

Haiti is stumbling toward its first election since former president Aristide was run out of office on Feb. 29, 2004, by an armed rebellion and under pressure from the United States and France to quit.

About 9,000 U.N. peacekeepers patrol the nation of 8.5 million people, supporting a national police force that numbers about 6,000. The peacekeepers have said they will be able to contain any security threats on election day.

But some members of the electoral council charged with organizing the vote have said unresolved technical problems and a lack of voter education will mar the vote. One member, Patrick Fequiere, said the election will be a "big farce."

Many of the technical issues that forced authorities to postpone the vote from November remain. In addition to polling station problems, 20 percent of the 3.5 million registered
voters have not received voter identification cards.

"We won't be able to fix all the problems in time for February 7. It would take us four or six months to correct them," said Max Mathurin, president of the electoral council.

In a Dec. 27 report, the International Foundation for Electoral Systems said an important number of voters were assigned to voting centers further from their homes than necessary.

As an example, the report said voters in the town of Verrettes had been assigned to vote in Savanhaut, 30 miles (50 km) away. Government and election authorities admitted the problems exist but said they will not have time to solve them.

"The Haitian people should prepare themselves to walk on election day. Unfortunately that's the case, we are not going to hide it," said Justice Minister Henri Dorlean.

"Please, get up early and make the sacrifice for yourself and your country," he told a local radio station.

Authorities decided to est
ablish larger voting centers instead of smaller, community polling stations. Some of the large centers could contain up to 40 polling stations. Critics say the setup could lead to chaos, with thousands of voters scrambling through a large center, trying to find their correct polling station.

"You imagine 16,000 people in just one relatively small building looking with frustration for a polling station and a list where their names could be found," said Himler Rebu, a presidential candidate. "It's going to be a real mess."

Many voters cannot identify their voting center because the electoral council did not provide addresses. Authorities said they took the measure for security reasons.

"When you have to walk six miles (10 km) to reach a voting center in a place you're not familiar with, you run a greater security risk," said Dr. Yves Cadet, a security expert. "It would have been much safer for voters to vote in their neighborhoods where they feel more confident and where ev
erybody knows everybody."

[Leonel Jean-Baptiste*]

Magouy la kOmanse!
Attachez vos ceintures!
Yap maymoulen kO yo jouk ou tande Baker prezidan...
leonel

[Hyppolite]

They're just trying to play it well so Preval can't be president. Question is, does Preval have a strategy? That's a huge adversity. They just don't want the poor to vote. It's pretty clear. It's disorganized by design.

[guysanto*]

Does Preval's camp have a strategy indeed for the after-victory and all the forces that are going to converge to block his presidency?

[MichelNau*]

Guy wrote:

Does Preval's camp have a strategy indeed for the after-victory and all the forces that are going to converge to block his presidency?

The presidency for Preval is a done deal. The runner up who ever he may be with less than 15% of the remaining votes would not be able to pull it up for a full coalition.
Some presidential candidates would not join Manigat or Baker,

Those who are more likely forcing a second tour are doing it for personal interest, not for their party or the country:
1) The CEP members who would like to have a second paycheck.
2) Manigat, and Baker who are fighting for second place, and if the coalition splits their shares between those two, then it’s over...
3) The candidates (losers) who are negotiating their share for a government position in the next administration.

To shortening the whole thing here, the idea
is: They may be losers, but they are willing to put on the market their little bits and pieces of their percentage to the highest bet. They are soar losers, and will not go away empty handed.

Preval has a comfortable lead so far, the people had spoken, and he should not give up to political blackmailing, from right or left. Haiti's interest first.
The losers (Lavalas, GNBists, e latrye) are going straight to the opposition.
So what!
This is what they are good for.

This is a new era where LESPWA is in,.... Lavalas out!!!

Michel

[guysanto*]

I am sorry I was not clear when I said "Does Preval's camp have a strategy indeed for the after-victory and all the forces that are going to converge to block his presidency?" I did not mean "block his presidency" in the sense of preventing Preval from becoming President (though any wild celebration should wait until that result is officially announced). I was talking however of all the forces that are going to converge to install a blockade against his Presidency, the way they did to his predecessor.

This is a new era where LESPWA is in,.... Lavalas out!!!

That sounds like wishful thinking to me...

[MichelNau*]

This is not wishful thinking. As we are aware of, the coalition Lavalas/MIDH did poorly during the elections. The future of this party is in limbo and no body seems to be interested of reviving it. We are looking at a hot potato that even the left wouldn’t touch with a 12 feet pole.

Guy wrote:

I was talking however of all the forces that are going to converge to install a blockade against his Presidency, the way they did to his predecessor.

Preval is far from being like his predecessor, Aristide. He courageously distances himself from him and the Lavalas Party.

Don’t be surprise to see in the near future that the blockage against LESPWA could more likely come from Lavalas.

Preval needs to stay focus and stick to his program by exercising good governance, and not to give up in under parties demands.

What the future of the political parties Haiti looks like?
Bright!
Some parties and candidates of the 0. % groups could soon disappear.
Preval would not be able to run again, therefore LESPWA needs to emerge within the next 5 years with new leaders.
Manigat of RDNP will not run anymore for health reasons, therefore giving opportunity for new leaders to emerge.
Baker of RESPE needs to fight for second place in order to maintain strong credibility for the next five 5 years if he plans to run again.
After Baker, came 2 strong finishers’ non politician candidates from the Christian Evangelist rights, Pastor Jeune Jean Chavannes of Union and Pastor Mésadieu Luc of MOCHRENA, a head of experienced politicians, a head of former military leaders, and a head of rebel leaders.
This is a clear indication that the people strongly reject conventional politics, and embrace hope instead.
And if the Constitution changes in favor of the Diaspora to participate in Hai
tian elections, one could clearly predict that Haitian politics would never be the same.

Michel

[Ezili Danto*]

Let's forget Bazin could never and has never legitimately represented the political party called Fanmi Lavalas;

Let's forget that the people voted, en mass, for L'espwa as a way to end the coup d'etat nightmare and because no other credible Lavalas Movement candidate was allowed to register as a Presidential candidate, because they're in jail, dead or in exile. Let's forget all this and get HDP and Michelnau amnesia. Spin the truth, leave out the critical Haitian on-the-ground nuances, and let's pretend that Preval's mandate came from HDP/IRI/US Embassy and not the majority of the peoples of Haiti - that is, the anti-Washington Consensus Lavalas Movement peoples of Haiti.

Let's just for "moving on" sake, just talk like some State Department bulletin and blithely say

Preval needs to stay focus and stick to his program by exercising good
governance, and not to give up in under parties demands.

After two years of witchhunt of Aristide supporters, coup d'etat repression and pressure, with Bazin signed up as the "Fanmi Lavalas" candidate by a few renegade Fanmi Lavalas officials and rejected by the due authorities of said political party, the Fanmi Lavalas party has indeed been compromised. So that's not the point. It must be "not to give in under the people's demands" right?

That's "good governance" right. Profit over people, the Washington Consensus. But what if Preval remembers his constituency and doesn't tow your "good governance" line? What if he focus and sticks to "his program" - the one he's articulated, that is in the interest of the people of Haiti, the peasants, the urban dwellers - that's in the interests of Haiti's domestic development? What then? Ohh, yeah, "he didn't exercise good governance" right, and should be oustered, rig
ht Michelnau?

michelnau wrote:

As we are aware of, the coalition Lavalas/MIDH did poorly during the elections. The future of this party is in limbo and no body seems to be interested of reviving it. We are looking at a hot potato that even the left wouldn’t touch with a 12 feet pole.

No kidding! As if Bazin represented Aristide political party and by extension the people of Haiti? Ron Daniel worked hard to get to this, didn't he senou? Those who signed up Bazin under the party Lavalas party banner actually are well respected by the people of Haiti and the Lavalas Movement? "Leaders" they are, aren't they? Yep, yep y'all and the beat goes on.....

michelnau wrote:

Baker of RESPE needs to fight for second place in order to maintain strong credibility for the next five 5 years if he plans to run again.

Now what was it? ohh yeah - "Baker, Charles Jean-Marie 8,30%" Geez, 8.30% after all tha
t IRI/USAID/European Union funding and a coup d'etat that cause over 10,000 deaths, countless in prison and drowned or in exile. Baker, Group 184's candidates gets a WHOLE 8.30% of the partial votes official released. That certainly makes him "credible!"

He'll maintain "strong credibility for the next five 5 years." Yep, on Michelnau's planet, he does and that's, that's that's all folks!!!

There you have the HDP/IRI spin for the next 5 years, at least. Certainly it's what will be written in HIStory books. If, that is, Haitians of good conscience don't speak up!

The effort to separate the people of Haiti from the Preval vote; to separate the bicentennial coup d'etat and the repudiation of Bush regime change from this Preval vote has just BEGUN and shall be continued by the opportunistic political suits, who are too weak for self-reliance, who have no faith in the people of Haiti, are too enamored or alternatively fearful of the cou
p d'etat powers and who believe the Preval mandate is being GIVEN to them, ALLOWED by the international community/US/France/Canada, not the people of Haiti.

Divide and conquer is the modus operandi, as usual. The name Aristide continues to be used to isolate the people from participation in the political process of their own country and to draw fire to the people if they resist.

But this is not 1994! Haitians have learned a thing or two, I would hope. Been there, done that. The same old, same old won't work.

You're right about two things Michelnau, it's time for the new Legislature, when it settles in, to AFFIRM the Constitutional amendment ALREADY passed by the last freely elected Legislature and that allows for dual citizenship. It's time for the Haitian Diaspora to be allowed to vote and have citizenship in Haiti.

Second, Haitians have rejected old conventional politics. They did that back in 1990, then in 1996, then in 2000 and now in 2006.

When will their messa
ge get through to the powers-that-be who don't respect rule by the ballot and Haiti's right to self-determination and sovereignty? When will the coup d'etat folks, who are all about debt, dependency and foreign domination, GET IT. When will they LET MY PEOPLE GO to live free, peaceful and prosperous lives?

Haiti's future is bright if they'll step the hell back and become productive citizens and neighbors and stop the obstructions because, indeed, the people of Haiti have shown in 1990, 1996, 2000 and now in 2006, they reject foreign meddling, occupation, protectorate, dictatorship, rule by force, politique de doublure, neoliberalism, the Washington Consensus and disrespect for their votes.

[Bouli*]

Partial elections results show Baker with a huge lead over Lavalas. GNBists are about to celebrate their victory at Montana in the hours to come. In the mean time the CEP is manufacturing the final result at Park Industrial under close supervision of Apaid and Boulos. Suspens! Subtracting 12% of the vote is an option that the CEP is considering. That would give Preval 56% of the votes so far. What about the new blank ballots phenomenon, is that another wild card on the poker table? Experts in democracy are hard headed. So the CEP must wait until World Land Insecurity experts give them green light and whether to consider a second round presidential election before they drop the bomb.

[Leonel Jean-Baptiste*]

Not so fast, People!!!!!!

They are really trying to have a second round...

Based on CNN, Preval lead is narrowing???? Definitely, IRI at his best.

I miss the uggliness of these Thugs! On Friday one of my Sources told me that Stanley Lucas said:

Nap konn vrE rezilta a, Samedi swa ou Dimanch matin

I was naive not to take Him seriously. You know, I think that they would like people to react. Then, we will see more Marines and a new Government as planned before...

Bagay yo pa nan plas yo menm. FE plis bri, paske VOlE Eleksyon yo ap jwe ak konpitE yo. Yap jwe ak vot pEp la...

It is outrageous, and it is a Shame!

L'union fait la Force,

Bare vOlE, sanwont, san santiman ak Zenglendo Washington yo anvayi nou.
leonel