Thursday, January 13. The Haiti Democracy Project appeared on ABC News Now’s Worldview Weekly today urging that recognizably free, clean elections be held this year. Such elections could finally end the political turmoil by producing a regime that Haitians accepted as theirs. None of the practices of the past–the funny counting, the ballot-stealing and intimidation–should be tolerated. With a legitimate regime, the weight of Haitian public opinion would come down against the armed bands that now littered the landscape and these people would be marginalized.
In recent weeks, the U.N. mission headed by Ambassador Valdes had become more proactive and was making progress toward the security needed for elections. A national dialogue was also about to begin, which should be as inclusive as possible.
The United States could also help by speeding up the disbursement of the fulsome aid pledges that had been made last summer, so that Haitians could see concrete results that looked toward a better future.
The Haiti Democracy Project was represented by James Morrell, executive director, who appeared with Amb. Juan Gabriel Valdes, head of MINUSTHA, the U.N. mission in Haiti.