Feb 07 2006
First Haiti Elections Since Aristide
GUEST: Brian Concannon Jr., Director of the Institute for Justice and Democracy in Haiti.
After being rescheduled four times, presidential elections in Haiti are underway despite fears of instability and violence. These will be the first elections since the U.S. backed coup ousting President Jean-Bertrand Aristide two years ago. Thirty-three candidates vying for the presidency. Polls show former president Rene Preval is the favored candidate – he has been endorsed by the prominent human rights activist, Father Jean-Juste. Some hope that today’s elections will bring calm to the island’s 8.3 million residents. However, critics note that the U.N. stabilization mission, MINUSTAH, has failed in ending violence and that discriminatory electoral practices have, in effect, disenfranchised many of Haiti’s impoverished residents. According to Tim Carney, the top US diplomat in Haiti, “the future of Haiti is at stake. It’s long past time that Haiti move into the modern world.†He made no mention of the US role in subverting Haitian democracy.
One Response to “First Haiti Elections Since Aristide”
Media are reporting a landslide by Rene Preval in the Haitian presidential race. Preval is an ally of Aristide.
If vote counting keeps its current trend Preval will have a strong mandate: 60% of the vote with levels of participation above 70%.