#4609: The EU on Haiti's Electoral Process (fwd)

[Robert Corbett <bcorbett@netcom.com>]

From: Max Blanchet <MaxBlanchet@worldnet.att.net>

Declaration by the Presidency on behalf of the
European Union concerning the electoral process
in Haiti

1. The European Union fully endorses the action taken
by the OAS observer mission in drawing the attention of
the President of Haiti and the President of the Provisional
Electoral Council to a flagrant, crucial error in the method
of counting the votes for candidates for election as
senators. It fails to understand the categorical refusal by
the Provisional Electoral Council and the Haitian authorities
to acknowledge that error, which seemed easy enough to
rectify.

2. The European Union condemns the unacceptable threats
which led the President of the Provisional Electoral Council
to leave the country hurriedly.

3. The European Union regrets the fact that the President
of Haiti and the Provisional Electoral Council have not
responded favourably to the CARICOM attempt to mediate
or to the appeal by the President of the Security Council to
the Haitian authorities on 6 July 2000 to take account of
the OAS observer mission's findings. In this context, the
holding of the second round of elections on 9 July 2000
appears particularly questionable.

4. The European Union would point out that full compliance
with the constitutional provisions concerning elections and
with the electoral law in force has to be regarded as the
cornerstone of the basic principles of democracy and the
rule of law, as emphasised by both the OAS and CARICOM,
organisations of which Haiti is a member. The European
Union considers that the authorities' refusal to remedy the
way in which the recent polling was conducted constitutes a
serious breach of those basic rules.

5. The European Union therefore fully endorses the
comments made by the United Nations Secretary-General
and the head of the OAS observer mission. It could be
compelled to reconsider its policy in Haiti, in particular in
the field of cooperation and development, should the
democratic process be called into question. Under the Lomé
Convention, this would imply application of the provisions
of Article 366a, including partial or full suspension of aid.

The Central and Eastern European countries associated
with the European Union, the associated countries Cyprus,
Malta and Turkey, and the EFTA countries Iceland and
Liechtenstein, members of the European Economic Area
align themselves with this declaration.