26984: (news) Chamberlain: Haiti unlikely to hold Jan. 8 election, officials say (fwd)

[Bob Corbett <corbetre@webster.edu>]

     By Joseph Guyler Delva

     PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti, Dec 21 (Reuters) - Haiti may not hold
long-delayed elections on Jan. 8 because of problems distributing voter
cards, recruiting workers and locating polling stations, election officials
said on Wednesday.
     With 18 days left until the election, only 500,000 of the 3.5 million
identification cards voters need to cast ballots have been handed out and
most of the 40,000 workers needed to operate polling stations have yet to
be recruited.
     Provisional Electoral Council President Max Mathurin said it was
crucial that the technical problems be solved before the election is held
to avoid protests in the troubled Caribbean nation after the vote.
     "We are not going to lead the country into a disaster," Mathurin said
in a statement on local radio. "Because if the elections are not organized
in acceptable conditions, we'll have to face protests and unrest even
before the proclamation of the results."
     Haiti is struggling to hold its first elections since President
Jean-Bertrand Aristide was forced from office on Feb. 29, 2004, during a
bloody rebellion by former soldiers and armed gangs. Voting for the
presidency and legislature is scheduled for Jan. 8 with a run-off on Feb.
15.
     At the start of the year, Haiti scheduled the election for Nov. 13. It
was rescheduled to Nov. 20, then to Dec. 27 and then to Jan. 8.
     When they announced the Jan. 8 date in late November, elections
officials called it "the real, final one."
     Mathurin said a meeting to discuss another postponement would be held
on Thursday.
     Some council members have suggested Jan. 22 for the first round. But
one council member, Patrick Fequiere, said at least two more months are
needed to ensure credible elections.
     Election officials blamed the delays in part on the Organization of
American States (OAS), which they say was responsible for voting card
distribution and locating polling centers.
     "Our decision to set the January 8th deadline for the first round was
based on OAS' commitment that voting cards distribution would have been
completed by December 25," said Rosemond Pradel, the council's
secretary-general, who said the OAS was not living up to its commitments.
     OAS officials in Port-au-Prince were not immediately available for
comment.
     During a visit to Haiti on Tuesday, U.S. Undersecretary of State
Nicholas Burns urged authorities to hold the vote as scheduled and assured
them of Washington's continued support.
     But U.S. officials said Washington was not likely to give the  U.N.
mission in Haiti 10 helicopters it has requested to help transport election
material to remote areas.
     Most registered voters still do not know where they are going to vote.
Many have complained they will have to walk long distances to get to
polling centers, particularly in provincial areas where many locations are
not reachable by car.
     Some voters say they are assigned to polling stations outside the
district where they are authorized to vote.
     Political parties and candidates have also expressed doubt the vote
can be held on Jan. 8.
     "I've never seen elections so poorly organized," said Evans Paul, a
presidential candidate. "It's not acceptable that people have to struggle
for hours in line to register, they have to do the same to get the voting
cards, and now they have to walk six hours to reach a place to cast their
ballot."