Haiti’s Electoral Underworld
Haiti’s Electoral Underworld Thursday, 24 February 2011, 9:30 am Press Release: Council on Hemispheric Affairs Haiti’s Electoral Underworld by COHA Research Associate Florian Dantreuille The contested results of the first round of the presidential elections and the recounts of the ballots have nursed an ongoing political crisis in Haiti On November 28, 2010 Haiti staged presidential and legislative elections. Even before the publication of their results, the process was surrounded by tension and controversy. To begin, the Port-au-Prince government agency in charge of supervising the elections, the CEP, prevented fifteen political parties from officially endorsing any popular candidate for the presidency. This included anyone coming from Haiti’s most representative party, the Fanmi Lavalas of exiled former President Jean-Bertrand Aristide. Moreover, outgoing President René Préval, who appointed all nine of the members of the CEP, was accused of meddling in the elections in ord