Haiti's electionWhomever they voted for ...the government plans to win

The old saying: absolute power, corrupts absolutely is proving to be the order
of the day in Haiti.

On November 28 2010, a balloting took place, even though voters were invited to
the polls, their names were deleted from the rolls thus preventing them from
voting.

The outgoing president bent on clinging to office ordered a tailored vote so his
handpicked successor, a man who is said to be his son and law, can be proclaimed
the winner. Unfortunately this time the arrogance went beyond limit and the
people revolted. First, 12 of the presidential candidates came together around
noon on election day, and with overwhelming documented reports of frauds such
as: voters intimidation, ballot stuffings, and multiple voting by members of the
ruling party, they called for the ballot to stop and be annuled.

The balloting went on any way to the 4PM closing time. 2 of the candidates who a
few hours earlier had asked for the cancellation of the flawed election, Mme
Mirlande Manigat and singer Michel Nartelly had a change of heart and returned
on Monday to the process they had condemned the sunday before. Sources
attributed this abrupt change to a conversation with Mr Edmond Mullet the United
Nations point man in Haiti who assured them they were leading in the vote. How
did he know that?

For its part, the ruling INITE party staged a press conference the Monday
following the balloting to announce that it has won 5 Senate seats and 24
deputies seats in the lower chamber, in addition because of the fact that the
other candidates in the election (12 out 18) had called for the vote to be
halted and instructed their partisans to stop voting, INITE followers doubled in
intensity and were the only ones left voting from 12PM to 4PM.

Thus say INITE, they have an arithmetic advantage that will translate into a 52%
first round win for the unpopular and bland Mr Jude Celestin.

On December 7, 2010, the day the results were to be released, the Electoral
Council agonized over how to proclaim Celestin an outright winner. Faced with
the fact that the numbers were not in his favor, they decided to place him
second in the tally, thus qualifying to take part in an eventual run off.
This was the spark that ignited the fire and caused widespread rioting and
casualties throughout the country. There has been nearly 3 days of rioting in
the country.

Now under pressure the Haiti Electoral Council is saying it will do new
verification of the tallies, if any fraud is detected the new numbers will be
revised. How insulting, the people who perpetratred the fraud are now offering
them-selves as the ones to make things right.

To that we say, it is too little too late.

At this point the Electoral Council should resign or be fired. haiti's President
Rene Preval because of his callous interference in the electoral process and the
riots and deaths that ensued should resign or be deposed, and have charges filed
against him for treason and other high crimes.

A provisional government should be set up with the charges of organizing new
elections in the country within 90 to 120 days.

The current Electoral Council and the current President of Haiti have lost all
credibility with the haitian people and are seen as agent provocateurs.
The international community should stand with the Haitian people for the body of
evidence thus far suggests they have been terribly wronged by callous and
criminally leaning leaders.

Harry J Fouche

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