Apr
25
2011
Michel Martelly was officially declared the elected President of Haiti on April 21st. The pop-star-turned-politician takes office on May 14th. Martelly’s victory caps a protracted and highly contested Presidential race that required a March 20th run-off election. Allegations of fraud marred the entire election process, beginning before the first vote was cast in November. The exclusion of the Fanmi Lavalas party from running any candidates further tainted the process and spurred a voter boycott. Martelly won with 67% of the run-off vote – however overall turnout was dismal, with less than 25% of the electorate participating. Today the Provincial Electoral Council postponed the certification of results in 19 legislative races, citing widespread concerns over election irregularities, and even outbreaks of violence, over the announced results. Last week President-elect Martelly met publicly with US Secretary of State Hilary Clinton in Washington. Haiti Liberte newspaper reports that a significant portion of Martelly’s 6 million dollar campaign fund came from U.S. contributors. Clinton and Martelly discussed plans for rebuilding the earthquake ravaged nation, with a focus on the private sector. Clinton described the benefits of a planned industrial park in Haiti and announced its first committed tenant – a global textile firm. She estimated it would bring “20,000 permanent export-oriented jobs.” During his trip to Washington the Miami Herald reports Martelly also met with officials at the International Monetary Fund, the World Bank, the Inter American Development Bank, and he attended a social gathering at the US Chamber of Commerce.
GUEST: Brian Concannon Jr., director of the Institute for Justice & Democracy in Haiti
Visit www.ijdh.org for more information.
