26709: Blanchet: (comment) Fwd: The Travail of Haitian Electoral Boards (fwd)

[Bob Corbett <corbetre@webster.edu>]

From: Max Blanchet <MaxBlanchet@worldnet.att.net>
HAITIAN ELECTIONS - MORE ANALYSIS

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Since 1986, a constant feature of the process to establish a viable =
democratic system in Haiti has been the inability of successive =
electoral boards under Ertha Trouillot, Jean Bertrand Aristide (first =
term), Ren=E9 Pr=E9val and Aristide (second term) to implement =
efficient, timely and credible elections. This is in sharp contrast with =
what we see elsewhere in countries that are poor yet manage to have =
correct elections.=20

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A few cases are worth mentioning: in India, a couple of years ago, they =
carried out national elections, which returned the Congress Party to =
power. Some 400 million people voted and for the first time electronic =
voting machines manufactured in India and numbering approximately one =
million units were used. Likewise, a year and a half ago in Venezuela, =
in a very charged atmosphere, President Hugo Chavez beat back a =
referendum to recall him. The whole process was monitored and vouched =
for by the Carter Center. A week ago in Kenya voters defeated a new =
constitution backed by President Kibaki's government. The results of the =
referendum were published in a matter of days. A week ago, in Sri Lanka, =
a country where a vicious civil war has raged for the last 20 years, =
presidential elections took place and the results were available in 12 =
hours. To the best of my knowledge, in all these cases, there were few =
serious challenges made to the process.

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Why is it that Haitian electoral authorities have been unable to =
implement decent elections? In my opinion, there are three factors that =
explain this state of affairs:

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=B7       Contrary to the requirements of the Constitution of 1987, the =
successive electoral boards -including the current one-- have been =
temporary institutions whose members were recruited from various =
political sectors and do not enjoy the backing of a permanent, =
professional staff. The tendency has, therefore, been to reinvent the =
wheel each time, especially with respect to the registration of voters, =
the creation of an electoral database amenable to being updated as =
needed, the establishment of accurate electoral lists and the planning =
and implementation of an efficient and credible electoral process.

=B7       Because of the ad hoc nature of the electoral board, its =
members are typically recruited from the various parties competing in =
the elections with the result that they tend to be amateurs who act as =
judge, jury and interested party in a process that is therefore subject =
to endless bickering. We have seen this phenomenon at work in the =
current electoral board: this has greatly impaired its ability to =
implement the elections in a timely, credible and efficient manner. Many =
observers agree that this is the most inept board they have seen in many =
years.=20

=B7       The various provisional electoral boards have tended to rely =
on foreign assistance in order to finance the electoral process. =
According to rumors that are circulating in Haiti, the international =
community is financing to the extent of 80% current electoral =
expenditures, which are expected to reach as much as 100 million US =
dollars. This implies heavy foreign intervention in the work of the =
electoral board, which results in close scrutiny and micro managing by =
international representatives, friction between them and Haitian =
officials, and unnecessary delays.=20

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In order to remedy these problems, it is incumbent upon the next elected =
government to create ASAP, as required by the 1987 Constitution, a =
permanent electoral board comprising independent, credible and competent =
members and to give it the financial means to hire a permanent staff to =
plan and execute efficient and credible elections from here on with =
minimal interference by the international community. The role of the =
international community is to assist Haiti: the bulk of the effort and =
the needed resources must come from Haiti itself. This is the price that =
must be paid for an efficient, credible, sustainable, autonomous and =
dignified electoral process. =20

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With regard to the financing of future elections, specifically the =
government will have to set aside yearly approximately 15 million US =
dollars -to be managed by Haiti's Central Bank-- to insure that the =
electoral board has the means to carry out its cyclical electoral =
responsibilities.=20

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Max Blanchet

November 28, 2005