Originally: Haitian prime minister promises “democratic, credible elections”
Prime Minister Latortue: If we recall what happened with the three or four last Provisional Electoral Councils that we had in the past, we will see that all the members were later appointed as ministers or ambassadors.
However, that left them with a presumption of complicity in manipulating the elections. The elections that we are going to hold in 2005 and I want to declare before the Haitian nation and in the presence of all the representatives of the international community that we are giving a good guarantee that the elections will be free, democratic and credible. Those who lose the elections will have only themselves to blame.
As for those who win the elections we will not give any opportunity for them to be called elected representatives issued from controversial elections. The interim president has said so in his speech and we are repeating it. We are asking for everybody’s cooperation – political parties, civil society, and all those who will be involved in the electoral process. We want to make it clear that we will thoroughly respect these regulations.