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#4577: UN chief criticizes Haitian election irregularities (fwd)
From:nozier@tradewind.net
WIRE:07/10/2000 15:21:00 ET
UN chief criticizes Haitian election irregularities
UNITED NATIONS, July 10 (Reuters) - Secretary-General Kofi Annan
criticised Haiti"s election procedures on Monday, saying authorities
should have resolved irregularities in the first round of voting before
holding a second-round run-off vote. Annan said he regretted "that the
electoral council and Haitian authorities chose to proceed with holding
run-off parliament elections yesterday, July 9, without having
resolved outstanding issues related to the first round." Opposition
parties charge that the count of the May 21 national and local
elections was rigged to ensure victory for the Lavalas Family party of
former President Jean-Bertrand Aristide, favoured to win presidential
elections in November. Haiti defied international calls for a recount
of the May 21 elections and on Sunday held a runoff vote for
parliament. "The Haitian people had demonstrated its commitment to the
democratic process by registering to vote and participating in record
numbers on May 21," Annan said in a statement, read by his
spokeswoman, Marie Okabe. "That commitment has been tested by
subsequent events,contributing to the low turnout in yesterday"s
run-off and the use of force and other improprieties to influence the
outcome,"he said.Last Thursday, the U.N. Security Council urged Haitian
authorities to investigate reports of irregularities. The 15-member
council, in a statement, "expressed concern with the violence during
the electoral period and reports of irregularities in electoral
procedures and changes occurring in" the electoral council. Annan said
he wished "to reiterate this call and to urge Haitian leaders to heed
the wishes of the people of Haiti, who have repeatedly expressed their
desire for a return to constitutionality." The president of the
electoral council has fled to the United States, saying he feared for
his life because he refused to sign off on erroneous results. Two other
members of the nine-member council resigned over the issue. Under
Haitian law, candidates must win a majority to avoid a second round of
voting. But officials counted votes for only the top four contenders in
each race, thereby giving outright first-round victories to several
Lavalas candidates. The Lavalas party received 16 wins out of the 19
Senate seats up for election.Haiti has been without a Parliament since
President Rene Preval dismissed legislators in 1999 to resolve a
longstanding power struggle, and then named a government by decree.