Politics
Haiti working towards credible elections this year
After 3 years of delayed polls and simmering political unrest, Haiti’s electoral machinery is finally grinding into gear.
By the end of the year, Haiti ought to have a newly elected president, parliament and local municipal governments.
Haitians have not been able to vote in an election since popular singer Michel Martelly won the presidency in the 2011 poll.
Since then, presidential nominees have replaced elected mayors in many towns and the Senate and House of Representatives have shrunk away. But the long delay has not dampened the ambition of Haiti’s political elite.
More than 120 parties have registered to take part in the elections. Not all will field candidates for all the races, but the sheer number of factions will add to the challenge facing organizers in the country.
“We cannot restrict a citizen’s right to form a political party,” sighed Mosler Georges, executive director of the Provisional Electoral Council (CEP). But we have to admit it is going to difficult in logistical terms.”
The numbers underline Haiti’s challenge.
Between mayors, town councilors, deputies, senators and the president, more than 6,000 seats are up for grabs in races spread across three polling days on August 9, October 25 and December 27.
It should not have been such a marathon. Under Haiti’s young constitution, most of the contests should have been fought months or even years ago at well-spaced intervals.
But things are rarely easy in Haiti. Martelly’s camp and the divided but determined opposition have been at daggers drawn for years, and their stand-off disrupted the program.
