Ambassador Sanderson was certainly right to take alarm at the prospect of a major party being excluded from the forthcoming elections. But the United States has been dangerously slow in reacting against the steadly-gathering threats to democracy. No public demarches or discernible action followed any of these previous probes:
- February 2006. Manipulation of presidential vote count to declare Rene Preval the winner without the legally-required 50 percent
- August 2007. Failure to select local delegates to choose constitutionally-required Permanent Electoral Council
- October 2007. Haitian senate delegation to Washington warns that senatorial elections are being blocked
- October 2007. Preval announces he will seek new constitution scrapping limit on presidential term
- December 2007. New electoral commission hand-picked by Preval
- January 2008. Neutral, professional electoral administrator forced out
- March 2008. Leading opposition senator forced out
- May 2008. Second senate delegation renews warning of dangers to election and constitution
- January 2009. Election commission sets new election for seat still legally held by opposition senator
- January 2009. Election commission ignores court order to keep seat vacant
- February 2009. Election commission accepts criminals as senatorial candidates