Haiti: Relief and Reconstruction Watch is a blog that tracks multinational aid efforts in Haiti with an eye towards ensuring they are oriented towards the needs of the Haitian people, and that aid is not used to undermine Haitians' right to self-determination.
Official election observers from the OAS and CARICOM are staying quiet on their assessment on the elections, but others are beginning to express their concern over the numerous serious problems that affected yesterday’s vote. Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen (R-FL) – soon expected to head the House Foreign Affairs Committee — issued a statement today saying:
I am deeply concerned about and deeply regret reports of serious irregularities in today’s elections in Haiti. They must be investigated immediately and steps taken to correct this wrong perpetrated against the democratic aspirations of the Haitian people.
Meanwhile Haiti Libre is reporting that a total of 15 presidential candidates are now calling for the election results to be annulled, with Génard Joseph (Groupement Solidarité), Yves Cristalin (Oganizasyon Lavni -LAVNI) and Yvon Neptune (Ayisyen Pou Ayiti) endorsing the sentiments of the previous 12 candidates. Various media reports have noted that annulment is favored by “all of the major contenders but one: Jude Celestin, who is backed by the Unity party of President Rene Preval.”
Official election observers from the OAS and CARICOM are staying quiet on their assessment on the elections, but others are beginning to express their concern over the numerous serious problems that affected yesterday’s vote. Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen (R-FL) – soon expected to head the House Foreign Affairs Committee — issued a statement today saying:
I am deeply concerned about and deeply regret reports of serious irregularities in today’s elections in Haiti. They must be investigated immediately and steps taken to correct this wrong perpetrated against the democratic aspirations of the Haitian people.
Meanwhile Haiti Libre is reporting that a total of 15 presidential candidates are now calling for the election results to be annulled, with Génard Joseph (Groupement Solidarité), Yves Cristalin (Oganizasyon Lavni -LAVNI) and Yvon Neptune (Ayisyen Pou Ayiti) endorsing the sentiments of the previous 12 candidates. Various media reports have noted that annulment is favored by “all of the major contenders but one: Jude Celestin, who is backed by the Unity party of President Rene Preval.”
CEPR’s statement, citing Co-Director Mark Weisbrot’s calling for the international community to reject Haiti’s flawed elections, and describing the numerous irregularities that CEPR’s Alex Main witnessed and others that were reported in the press, has been cited in numerous media reports today. The Miami Herald, BBC, Reuters, AFP, Radio France, and Deutsche Welle are among the outlets reporting on it, and it has received a good deal of attention in Brazilian and other Latin American media as well. Alex, Mark and other CEPR staff have been doing interviews today on the situation in Haiti with a number of radio, TV, and press outlets – you can listen, e.g. to Alex’s interview with WBAI’s Wake Up Call this morning here (Alex joins the program at 33:40).
CEPR’s statement, citing Co-Director Mark Weisbrot’s calling for the international community to reject Haiti’s flawed elections, and describing the numerous irregularities that CEPR’s Alex Main witnessed and others that were reported in the press, has been cited in numerous media reports today. The Miami Herald, BBC, Reuters, AFP, Radio France, and Deutsche Welle are among the outlets reporting on it, and it has received a good deal of attention in Brazilian and other Latin American media as well. Alex, Mark and other CEPR staff have been doing interviews today on the situation in Haiti with a number of radio, TV, and press outlets – you can listen, e.g. to Alex’s interview with WBAI’s Wake Up Call this morning here (Alex joins the program at 33:40).
