Mr. Hedi Annabi
Special Representative of the Secretary-General
United Nations Mission in Haiti
Dear Mr. Special Representative,
The Group of Parliamentarians in Support of Representative Democracy presents its compliments and expresses its thanks for the full and active support of the U.N. mission for the political normalization process initiated in our country by the presidential, parliamentary, and local elections of 2006. After taking note of new regulations sent on January 21, 2008 to the Provisional Electoral Commission by President Préval?s secretary, our group considers it necessary to inform you, as indicated in the attached paper, of our serious doubts concerning the capacity of the existing electoral institution to conduct a credible, honest and transparent process.
The new regulations contain elements which totally dismantle the legal and organizational scheme put in place in 2006. This system included digitalized voting cards, a tabulation center, voting centers, electoral lists with photos, and electoral-appeal boards. It constituted, in the eyes of our group and the majority of parliamentarians, a base for modernizing the Haitian electoral system. Moreover, line (a) of Article 17 of the regulations gives the president of the institution discretionary powers. Line (f) of the same article gives him executive responsibilities which are incompatible both with his position of judge on the highest electoral appeals board and with national and international democratic standards on elections.
The institutional crisis of the CEP, which became overt with the premature resignation of its director-general, invites serious reflection by all the partners involved since 2005 in the political normalization and stabilization process. For this reason our parliamentary group wishes to promote common action among the politicians, civil society, and government. We wish to pursue with these sectors ways to retain the institutional and organizational achievements which have proved their worth and which at this crossroads can guarantee the political stability of the country by way of fair and credible elections to renew a third of the senate.
The Parliamentary Group in Support of Representative Democracy presents to you, Mr. Special Representative, its compliments.
Jean Berthold Bastien, deputy
President of the Group
Rigaud Belizaire, deputy
OPL
Jean Beauvoir, deputy
Action for Artibonite
Denis St. Fort, deputy
Alliance
Maxeau Balthazar, deputy
Adviser
Jonas Coffy, deputy
Lavalas Family
Donald Dorsainvil
Fusion