Presidenciales en Haití: Caricom advierte irregularidades y se multiplican las denuncias de fraude

La oposición formuló ayer nuevas denuncias de supuestos fraudes cometidos en las elecciones del 25 de octubre por el oficialista Partido de Haití Tet Kale (PHTK) a favor de su candidato Jovenel Moise.

Los candidatos a la Presidencia Steven Benot, Jean Henry Ceant y Sauveur Pierre Etienne acusaron a los líderes del PHTK de orquestar un fraude masivo y de haber utilizado ambulancias para transportar urnas falsas a centros de votación.

La operación de las ambulancias se llevó a cabo a las 3:00 de la tarde, explicó Etienne, de la Organización del Pueblo en Lucha (OPL), quien añadió que hubo complicidad de miembros de la maquinaria electoral y varios agentes oficiales.

Falsos agentes con la insignia de la autoridad electoral votaron varias veces y participaron en el traslado de urnas falsas a los centros de votación actividad, en la que también estuvieron involucrados policías, apuntó.

Ceant, líder de Haití Renmen, aseguró que la rotación de los funcionarios en los centros electorales fue parte de ese plan de fraude que contó con el apoyo de los consejeros electorales.

Para el senador Benoit, candidato de la plataforma Konviksyon, el fraude fue masivo y ello demuestra que el jefe de Estado Michel Martelly no puede completar su mandato y debe buscarse una transición democrática.

Benoit reveló que los 10 miembros que aún quedan en el Senado tienen previsto reunirse mañana para comentar sobre el fraude masivo registrado en las elecciones del 25 de octubre de 2015.

La víspera habían denunciado esos y otros fraudes miembros de la campaña de Jude Celestín, aspirante presidencial de la opositora Liga Alternativa por el Progreso y la Emancipación Haitiana (Lapeh).

Antes el candidato presidencial de la plataforma opositora Pitit Dessalines, Moise Jean-Charles, reveló que supervisores electorales abandonaron urnas desfavorables y las reemplazaron por otras con votos para Jovenel.

También la candidata presidencial de Fanmi Lavalas, Maryse Narcisse, llamó a la población a estar alerta porque tratan de robarle el triunfo electoral que asegura haber obtenido el domingo último.

La estafa fue organizada científicamente después del cierre de los colegios electorales y las urnas llenas favorables a Jovenel fueron transportadas al centro de tabulación mientras las otras las secuestró el gobierno, según Fanmi Lavalas.

La mayoría de los partidos cuyos candidatos se encuentran entre los favoritos (Fanmi Lavalas, Lapeh, Renmen Ayiti y Pitit Desalin) anuncian movilizaciones para derrotar lo que consideran un plan golpista preparado por el Gobierno.

Prensa Latina

Caricom reporta irregularidades en elecciones haitianas

Los observadores de la Comunidad de Caribe (Caricom) reportaron ayer numerosas fallas en las recientes elecciones de Haití y recomendaron a las autoridades del país corregirlas de inmediato para evitar secuelas.

El equipo, liderado por el guyanés Steve Surujbally, visitó 127 centros de votación en Puerto Príncipe y en algunas localidades aledañas a la capital haitiana.

Los observadores divulgaron en su reporte preliminar irregularidades como la falta de preparación del personal electoral, la habilitación de espacios inadecuados para emitir el voto y la poca transparencia en el escrutinio.

Alertaron que el informe conclusivo será más detallado e incluirá otros señalamientos con el objetivo de ayudar a las instituciones haitianas a corregir los errores en próximos comicios.

Los representantes de Caricom llegaron el pasado día 21 a Puerto Príncipe y se reunieron con representantes del Gobierno, el poder electoral, organizaciones sociales y entidades internacionales. Las elecciones del domingo fueron convocadas para elegir al sucesor del presidente Michel Martelly, 18 senadores y 115 diputados, pues en la primera ronda de las parlamentarias solo quedaron cuatro de los 119 miembros de la Cámara de Representantes.

Prensa Latina

Le Sénat tiendra une rencontre sur les fraudes électorales

Les 10 sénateurs en fonction entendent se prononcer sur les fraudes massives enregistrées lors du scrutin du 25 octobre 2015. Une importante réunion de travail est prévue demain jeudi, a révélé le sénateur Steven Benoît.

Depuis le lancement de la campagne électorale, les sénateurs en fonction, qui ne peuvent tenir des séances en assemblée, n’avaient pas pu organiser des réunions de travail. Deux sénateurs, Steven Benoît et Wesner Polycarpe, sont directement impliqués dans les élections en tant que candidat à la présidence.

Le sénateur Benoît candidat à la présidence de la plateforme Conviction, a adressé hier une correspondance aux chefs des missions d’observation électorale de l’Union Européenne et de l’Organisation des Etats Américains (OEA) afin de dénoncer des fraudes réalisées selon lui par des dirigeants du Parti Haïtien Tet Kalé (PHTK). Il indique que le gouvernement ainsi que les membres du Conseil Electoral Provisoire sont impliqués dans l’application de la stratégie visant à obtenir l’élection du candidat du parti présidentiel Jovenel Moise.

Plusieurs autres candidats à la présidence dont Jude Célestin, Jean Charles Moise, Maryse Narcisse, Sauveur Pierre Etienne, Jean Henry Céant ont également dénoncé les fraudes massives lors du scrutin. Ils soutiennent que les dirigeants du PHTK avaient adopté une nouvelle stratégie pour éviter de recourir à la violence.

Cependant les dirigeants du PHTK ont, dans un communiqué, ont démenti les allégations qui visent à discréditer leur parti.

Les sénateurs lors de leur séance de travail devront également se prononcer sur un arrêté présidentiel octroyant des primes de séparation de plus de 50 000 dollars américains a chaque ministre.

Steven Benoît qualifie cet arrêté de scandale estimant que le régime en place s’évertue à dilapider les dernières ressources financières disponibles.

Metropole Haití

CARICOM Election Mission to Haiti releases Immediate Post-Election Statement

The CARICOM Election Observation Mission (CEOM) to Haiti has issued its Immediate Post-Election Statement in which it highlighted areas that could lead to “undesirable sequels” if not corrected.

Those areas included anomalies pertaining to voting norms, varying methodologies in poll practices and inadequate physical space at polling stations

The eight-member team, headed by Dr. Steve Surujbally, Chairman of the Guyana Elections Commission, observed the 26 October Elections in Haiti. The team met with a number of persons including the Prime Minister, the Hon. Evans Paul, and representatives of the diplomatic corps in Haiti. The Mission visited 127 polling stations.

IMMEDIATE POST ELECTION STATEMENT HAITI 2015

The CARICOM Election Observation Mission (CEOM) comprised:

• Steve Surujbally, Chairman of the Guyana Elections Commission (Chief of Mission)
• Mr Ian Hughes, Registration Officer, Antigua & Barbuda Electoral Commission;
• Mr Geoffrey McPhee, Assistant to the Parliamentary Commissioner of The Bahamas;
• Mr Rudolph Waterman, Senior Executive Officer, Barbados Election Commission;
• Mr Henry George, Former Parliamentarian of Dominica;
• Mr Michael Flood, Commissioner, Electoral Commission of Saint Lucia;
• Mr Clement St Juste, Commissioner, Electoral Commission of Saint Lucia; and
• Neisha Ali-Harrynarine, Assistant Chief Election Officer (Ag), of Trinidad and Tobago.

The staff members from the CARICOM Secretariat who provided support to the Mission were Ms Tricia Barrow and Ms Denise London.

 MEETINGS

During the periods before, during and immediately after Elections Day, meetings were held with:

• E. Hon. Prime Minister of Haiti, Mr. Evans Paul;
• The Hon. Minister delegate for Electoral Affairs, Mr. Jean Fritz Jean Louis;
• The General Coordinator of the National Council for Electoral Observation (CNO), Mr. Patrick Labb and his colleague Mr. Gédéon Paul;
• Member of the National Network for the Defense of Human Rights (RNDDH), Ms. M. Jean;
• The President of the Provisional Electoral Council (CEP), Mr. Pierre Louis Opont;
• The European Union’s officers stationed in Haiti, and members of the EU Observer Team;
• The Chef de Mission of the OAS Team and Members of the OAS Observer Mission;
• The Chef de Mission of PARLAMERICAS’ Elections Observer Term, Mr. Alain Gauthier;
• Special Representative of the Secretary General of the United Nations (SRSG), E. Sandra Honoré;

• Ambassadors of those countries within the European Union;
• The Ambassador of the United States to Haiti, Mr Peter F. Mulrean;
• The Ambassador of Canada to Haiti, Ms Paula Caldwell St-Onge;
• National Coordinator of the Haitian Council of Non State Organisations (CONAM), Mr. Edouard Paultre;

• The Group (including the Prime Minister, the Minister Responsible for Electoral Affairs and the President of the CEP) which attempted to launch the Non -Violence Pact and to which political parties were invited to adhere.

N.B. 1) Daily meetings with the CEOM members were convened for salient and in depth discussions.CEOM ACTIVITIES ON ELECTIONS DAY

The CEOM was essentially deployed in four areas situated in and contiguous to the capital city Port-au-Prince. Plans for the CEOM to visit polling stations further afield had to be abandoned, under advice from the National Police.

The CEOM visited accumulatively 127 Polling Stations.

GENERAL OBSERVATIONS

The Team made the following General Observations which, if not corrected, could lead to undesirable sequels in the future:

1. Too many anomalies pertaining to voting norms exist (whether these were accidental or due to deficiencies in the training of the CEP cadre could not be ascertained).

N.B. It should be noted that the CEP does not recruit its own staff directly (e.g. via advertisement); rather, extraneous bodies (NGOs, political parties, Civil Society Organisations) propose candidates for selection.

2. Varying methodologies in the poll practices, on occasion, were used by CEP officers during the course of the day; for example, different fingers were stained as a form of identification. This would tend to reflect that the training of the CEP E-Day cadre either was not uniform, or that the CEP staff interpreted the processes differently despite common training.
3. The inadequacy of physical space in Polling Stations:

• led to the secrecy of the ballot being compromised (persons inside and outside of the Polling Stations could see for whom the voter was casting his/her ballot);

• could lead to the possible closure of a Polling Station, if it rained, since there were Polling Stations conducting business in the open air;

• led to the sauna-like conditions (not lastly in the tents) in which CEP Staff had to operate was in itself not conducive to efficiency, and on some occasions led to frayed nerves. However, at no time did the Team observe altercations between CEP officials and voters evolving into physical interactions. Nevertheless it was the considered opinion of the Team that five (5) Polling Stations in one room would obviously not be conducive to an optimal working environment;

• may have prompted the CEP to place scores of Polling Stations in one building. This led to some degree of turbulence at the entrance of the Polling Place Complex. The absence of trained, qualified and experienced ushers (information clerks/ ‘orienteurs’) exacerbated this problem; and

• led to a situation whereby party agents were too close to CEP staff thus on occasion intimidating the officers.

4. At the Tabulation Centre, there would be more transparency if the methodology of processing the Tally Sheets (not the content of the Tally Sheets) was shared with political parties and other important stakeholders.

5. It would help matters if, prior to the Elections, relevant laws were to be enacted, so as to assist any Electoral Court/Tribunal in carrying out its deliberations.

6. The Permanency of the Electoral Council would ensure that that critical body enjoys greater autonomy and authority in handling electoral matters, particularly as it pertains to political parties.

7. Lighting arrangements need to be improved.

CONCLUSIONS

Many more observations made by the CEOM on Elections Day will be documented in the Final Report. These in turn will be reflected in the recommendations contained in that document.

During the meetings with the stakeholders mentioned earlier, concerns were raised which paralleled the Team’s. However, these will be treated more expansively in the Final Report.

It would be remiss of the CARICOM Elections Observer Mission not to mention its appreciation for the very frank but cordial manner, with which the varied stakeholders, treated sensitive issues.

The CEOM felt that the inherent warmth, kindness and courtesy of the Haitian People were instrumental in making our sojourn, during this period of tenseness, very comfortable, and imbued us with the optimism and confidence that in spite of the unique challenges facing Haiti, electoral improvements can be guaranteed.

DR ROBERT STEPHEN SURUJBALLY

CHIEF OF MISSION

CARICOM ELECTION OBSERVATION MISSION

27 OCTOBER 2015

Caricom Today