27801: Concannon- Half Hour for Haiti Action Alert (fwd)

[Bob Corbett <corbetre@webster.edu>]

Brian Concannon

Brian@IJDH.ORG

February 14, 2006

Half-Hour for Haiti: Count All the Votes!

Haiti's elections on February 7 went well enough that the post-election vote
counting should have been uncontroversial.  The turnout was huge, there was
almost no violence, and the people's choice was so clear that the second
place finisher received less than 12% of the vote. But incredibly, a week
later the final results have not been declared, and the Electoral Council is
in disarray. The voters have taken to the streets to protect their vote, and
the clear winner is alleging fraud.



Haiti's voters have seen enough stolen elections to qualify as world-class
experts in the field. They can trace a pattern of systematic suppression of
their votes from the flawed voter registration campaign through a tumultuous
election day to the current questionable tabulation process, and see their
votes discounted at every step. They know that they did enough to win
according to the rules of the game, which they believe in. But they know
that voting, in Haiti, is not enough, so they are now out in the streets by
the thousands, erecting barricades, protesting, even occupying the pool at
the luxurious Montana Hotel, where the votes are counted. For more analysis
of the elections, see IJDH's:
<http://www.ijdh.org/articles/article_recent_news_2-14-06.htm> Counting Some
of the Votes in Haiti.



Haiti's voters need our help. Please write to Secretary of State Condoleeza
Rice, urging her to ensure that Haiti's vote is respected.  A sample letter
is below, feel free to modify it as you see fit. The message can be faxed,
emailed to Secretary Rice via the State
<http://state.custhelp.com/cgi-bin/state.cfg/php/enduser/ask.php?p_cv=4.114&;
p_pv=&p_prods=0&p_cats=37%2C84%2C86%2C114&p_hidden_prods=&prod_lvl1=0&cat_lv
l1=37&cat_lvl2=84&cat_lvl3=86&cat_lvl4=114>  Department's Form  or called in
to 202-647-4000.





Via Facsimile No. 1-202-647-0791

Dr. Condoleeza Rice

Secretary of State

U.S. Department of State
2201 C Street NW
Washington, DC 20520



Re: Respecting Haiti's Vote



Dear Secretary Rice:



I am writing to urge you to ensure that the massive vote of Haitian citizens
in favor of President Rene Preval is respected. Initial returns showed that
Mr. Preval had easily passed the 50% of the vote needed to avoid a second
round. Journalists and Haitian and foreign observers, including U.S.
government programs, reported similar results from local tallies.



The Executive Director of the Electoral Council has declared that Mr. Preval
now has slightly less 50%, and counting has apparently stopped. Electoral
Council Members claim that the Executive Director- whose position is not
recognized in Haitian law- has manipulated the counting and withheld
information from them. The UN was even forced at one point to remove the
door from the tabulation facility to promote transparency.



The credible reports of irregularities in the counting come on the heels of
serious organizational flaws on election day and a poorly run voter
registration campaign, both of which had a disproportionate impact on the
poor voters most likely to vote for Mr. Preval. The flaws give Mr. Preval's
supporters reason to fear that his overwhelming electoral support will not
be enough to win an unfair second round.



The State Department has previously supported people who took to the streets
in Ukraine and elsewhere to demand a fair count of the vote. Last week you
reiterated that the United States would "support the people of Haiti as they
progress toward a transparent and stable democracy." Please support the
people of Haiti by ensuring that the Interim Haitian Government correctly
counts the votes for all candidates, especially Mr. Preval.



Sincerely,



_______________________________________________________

For more information about the Half-Hour for Haiti Program, the Institute
for Justice & Democracy in Haiti, or human rights in Haiti, see
www.ijdh.org.







Brian Concannon Jr.

Director, Institute for Justice & Democracy in Haiti

Brian@IJDH.org

www.ijdh.org

PO Box 745

Joseph, OR, 79846 USA

541-432-0597