Dear Fellow Citizens:
The year that has just ended, in particular towards the end, found us in complete disarray. General elections that were scheduled during this period could not be held on time.
In a letter dated 31 December to Prime Minister Gerard Latortue, CEP President Max Mathurin asked the executive branch to cancel the decree calling on the people to go to the polls on 8 January. The reasons that were mentioned are:
1) Of the 3.25 million cards delivered by the DigiMark company, only 1.4 million have been distributed to voters.
2) The mistakes in the location and the number of voting centres require corrections.
Haitian People, Dear Fellow Citizens:
It would be bothersome to list the significant faults of some and the determining faults of others without acrimony and without harshness . But prompted by the passion of doing things well and responding to the legitimate aspirations of the citizens as soon as possible, this mode of government evolution is realizable and will materialize if every player assumes their responsibility without equivocation, without self-glorification, but with humility and courage.
For its part, the interim government, aware of its responsibilities, has provided the electoral institution the resources that are necessary for its functioning. It negotiated and obtained from the international community increased financial and technical commitments essential to the holding of elections in an environment of confidence for the people.
It is now the responsibility of the international partners and the CEP to harmonize their relations and strategy jointly with the political parties so that the poor functioning and irritating delays experienced by the competitors in the various electoral positions and the citizens.
No matter what, elections, good elections must necessarily be held as soon as possible so that the country can find its unity and its soul, so that the sacrifices of the ancestors of 1804 are not in vain, so that finally in 2006 the Haitian people can make their way towards the establishment of a genuine representative democracy that respects the rights of citizens and that cares for social justice so that finally Haiti can get back its true position among free, civilized and modern nations.