May 17, 2010
A Miami Herald editorial calls on Haitian political actors to unite in order to hold a credible vote as soon as possible. This is especially important given that:
Haiti’s parliament went out of business last Monday because the earthquake forced the cancellation of legislative elections in February. That has left President René Préval as the sole effective constitutional authority in the country, with no preparations undertaken so far to hold new elections.
The Herald states that
Haiti’s leaders need to unite in the common interest of organizing transparently free and fair elections in the shortest time frame possible.
Credible elections are always a daunting task in Haiti, more so now than ever before. The electoral registry hasn’t been updated since 2005. Meanwhile, hundreds of thousands of young people have turned 18 and the earthquake may have killed or displaced nearly a million people.
and
That makes it all the more urgent for the president and Haiti’s three dozen or so opposition parties to agree on a firm date for elections…
This suggests that the Herald is supporting inclusiveness in Haiti’s upcoming elections, which would mean allowing on the ballot political parties that had been previously and arbitrarily excluded by Haiti’s Provisional Electoral Council – including Haiti’s most popular party, Fanmi Lavalas. If this is the Herald’s position, it should explicitly say so, as it would help ensure that such inclusive elections happen. This would also go a long way towards ensuring that the elections are indeed “free and fair.”
