Elections and Democracy

Haitian elections officials Friday afternoon abruptly canceled Sunday’s planned elections amid escalating protests and violence around the country.

Moments earlier, the officials had halted the distribution of voting materials and began recovery of those that had already gone out.

Elections officials said at a news conference that safety could not be guaranteed for voters or poll workers. Read More

On Sunday 3 January, the Independent Electoral Evaluation Commission released its report on the 25 October presidential elections. Appointed on 22 December by President Martelly in response to demands for an independent investigation, the Evaluation Commission met over the holidays with electoral council members, government officials, election observers, candidates and other concerned groups, and conducted a verification of 1771 randomly-selected tally sheets. Read More

Haiti’s presidential runoff is slated for Jan. 17 after being postponed in December. The international community has often stunted Haiti’s democracy.
As Haitians prepared to go to the polls in 2010, 45 members of the U.S. Congress wrote to then Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, warning that supporting such a flawed process “will come back to haunt the international community.” Five years later, as Haiti finds itself embroiled in another electoral crisis, the lasting impact of the 2010 election is clear for all to see. Read More

Haiti’s President, Michel Martelly, is a charismatic showman who has been a faithful ally to the Obama administration for the past five years. But it is time for his public office curtain call, and the administration needs to stop supporting his illegal efforts to extend his engagement.

President Martelly’s term ends next February 7, and Haiti’s Constitution prohibits his re-election. Read More

http://www.miamiherald.com/news/nation-world/world/americas/haiti/article47633290.html

Editorial, Miami Herald, December 2, 2015