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#2749: UN chief concerned about delay in Haiti elections (fwd)
From:nozier@tradewind.net
WIRE:03/06/2000 18:16:00 ET
UN chief concerned about delay in Haiti elections
UNITED NATIONS, March 6 (Reuters) - Secretary-General Kofi Annan
expressed concern on Monday about Haiti's decision to delay elections
without setting a new date, and said the country needed to hold a
new ballot quickly, his spokesman said. He emphasises the importance of
prompt, free and fair legislative and local elections for the
restoration of Haiti's parliament and for the strengthening of Haiti's
democracy," U.N. spokesman Fred Eckhard said. Haiti's electoral body
announced on Friday that it was postponing national and local elections
because of difficulties in organising the balloting that left more
than 1 million eligible voters unregistered. But it did not give a new
date for the poll, which had been scheduled for March 19, with a
run-off vote on April 30. The balloting had originally been set for
November and December. Roland Sainristil, spokesman for the country's
electoral commission, said a new date would be set as soon as possible.
Eckhard said "the secretary-general has noted with concern, this
announcement by the Haitian authorities on Friday that the legislative
and local elections would be delayed beyond the previously scheduled
date of March 19." We also note that there's been no date set for the
elections," he added. Haiti has not held elections since April 1997,
when only 5 percent of voters turned out and the results were annulled
because of widespread fraud.President Rene Preval has been ruling by
decree since he dissolved parliament in January 1999 in an effort to
end a paralysis in governmental functions. The elections are to fill
10,000 empty local and national posts, including two-thirds of the
senate and the entire Chamber of Deputies that make up Haiti's
parliament. Some 29,300 candidates are running. Annan's comments
echoed those of the U.N. Security Council, which only hours before the
delay was announced on Friday, urged Haiti "to hold as closely
as possible to the current election timetable."