Identifier
Created
Classification
Origin
05PORTAUPRINCE1072
2005-04-19 11:46:00
CONFIDENTIAL
Embassy Port Au Prince
Cable title:  

HAITI ELECTIONS: ELECTION NEWS ROUND-UP (APRIL 16,

Tags:  PGOV PREL EAID HA 
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This record is a partial extract of the original cable. The full text of the original cable is not available.
C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 03 PORT AU PRINCE 001072 

SIPDIS

WHA/EX PLEASE PASS USOAS
NSC FOR SHANNON
SOUTHCOM ALSO FOR POLAD

E.O. 12958: DECL: 04/15/2015
TAGS: PGOV PREL EAID HA
SUBJECT: HAITI ELECTIONS: ELECTION NEWS ROUND-UP (APRIL 16,
2005)

REF: PORT-AU-PRINCE 1005

Classified By: Deputy Chief of Mission Douglas M. Griffiths. Reasons 1
.4 (b) and (d).

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 03 PORT AU PRINCE 001072

SIPDIS

WHA/EX PLEASE PASS USOAS
NSC FOR SHANNON
SOUTHCOM ALSO FOR POLAD

E.O. 12958: DECL: 04/15/2015
TAGS: PGOV PREL EAID HA
SUBJECT: HAITI ELECTIONS: ELECTION NEWS ROUND-UP (APRIL 16,
2005)

REF: PORT-AU-PRINCE 1005

Classified By: Deputy Chief of Mission Douglas M. Griffiths. Reasons 1
.4 (b) and (d).


1. (U)

I. ELECTION SECURITY (Para. 2)
II. PARTY ALLIANCES: CONSTANTLY SHIFTING (Paras. 3-5)
III. PARTY CONVENTIONS FILL MONTH OF APRIL (Paras. 6-11)
IV. MORE POSSIBLE PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATES (Paras. 12-13)

V. CEP COMMISSIONS (Paras. 14-15)



I. ELECTION SECURITY
--------------


2. (SBU) MINUSTAH-CivPol has been tasked with organizing
security for the Haitian elections and is in the process of
conducting risk/security assessments for up to 470 possible
voter registration sites (current OAS plans call for 424
sites, as mentioned above). CivPol Commissioner Dave Beer
has directed that the elections are the number one priority
for his Civ-Pol personnel. The CivPol elections security
team of nine personnel includes two U.S. officers who met
with poloffs April 14 to outline their mission. They have
completed about 25 percent of the potential voter
registration centers/sites security assessments. None of the
sites thus far assessed meet even minimum security standards.
They provided information on the methodology to be used to
recruit the 3600 election security assistants (ESAs) who will
be drawn primarily from the current list of potential HNP
recruits (not ex-FAdH) throughout the country. The ESAs will
be the first line security defense in the majority of voter
registration centers, providing unarmed, static security to
the facilities and equipment. (These are designated 'green"
in the CivPol scale.) Amber-designated centers will likely
require full-time HNP presence in addition to the ESAs.
Voter registration sites in the most insecure areas ("red")
will have a MINUSTAH military presence.

II. PARTY ALLIANCES: CONSTANTLY SHIFTING
--------------


3. (C) Former mayor of Jeremie and Grand-Anse senatorial
candidate Jean Beauport told PolOff that a new coalition was
forming that comprised Evans Paul's Convention for Democratic
Unity (KID),Gerard Blot's Head's Together (Tet Anselm),
Claude Romain's Popular Party to Renew Haiti (PPRH),Henold

Buteau's Movement for National Reconstruction (MRN) and Axan
Abelard's REPONSE parties. Beauport said an announcement
could be made later in April once the parties agreed on a
common platform and selected a presidential candidate. If the
coalition won, Beauport said the post-electoral strategy
would include a national unity government with a "60/40
split." The Prime Minister would be appointed from a party
within the coalition and 40 percent of the cabinet seats
would go to parties outside of the coalition.


4. (U) Following the February 19 National Penitentiary
breakout, the National Initiative to Save the Transition was
established to call for the resignation of Latortue and the
interim government. Members include Dany Toussaint and
Prince Sonson's Haitian Democratic and Reform Party
(MODEREH),Turneb Delpe's Haitian National Democratic
Progressive Party (PNDPH),George Blot's Tet Anselm, and
Belizaire Dejean's National Patriotic Movement-November 28
(MNP-28).


5. (U) Media reported February 17 that five parties formed
the National Front of Independent Parties (FRONTPAIN). The
National Agricultural and Industrial Party (PAIN),the
National Labor Party (PNT),the Patriotic Union of Democrats
(UPD),the Institutionalized Democratic Party (PDI) and the
PRS (nfi). FRONTPAIN called for "economic liberalism, under
the auspices of a strong state."

III. PARTY CONVENTIONS FILL MONTH OF APRIL
--------------


6. (U) The Christian Movement for a New Haiti (MOCHRENA)
held its national conference April 9 in Gonaives, the party's
birthplace. To no one's surprise, party leader Luc Mesadieu
was announced as the party's presidential candidate.
Mesadieu told PolCouns April 13 that 5-6000 attended the
conference (Note: this seems exaggerated. End Note).
According to Mesadieu, there were several tire-burnings and
roadblocks set up early to prevent people from attending the
conference; however, MINUSTAH responded and removed the
blockades and provided some degree of visible security at the
gathering. Mesadieu, a dentist by training, has been a
Protestant pastor since 1979. He ran unsuccessfully for the
presidency in 2000.


7. (SBU) PolOff attended the Popular Party to Renew Haiti's
(see www.pprh.com) national congress on April 9. The PPRH was
the fusion between Generation 2004 (led by Claude Roumain and
Daniel Supplice, an unsuccessful senate candidate in 2000)
and the then-defunct Social Liberal Party of Haiti (PLSH),
led by Serge Boris Montes. Supplice said PPRH would pursue
the "strongest possible alliance" for elections.
Approximately 1000 partisans jammed a local nightclub to
listen to the party's leaders. As has been the case at most
conferences, there were more partisans than actual delegates.
It was embarrassingly quiet when a moderator did the
roll-call of delegates from each of the ten Departments.


8. (U) Supplice criticized the current government for the
poor security situation (the event was overshadowed by the
continuous gunfire heard from the HNP/MINUSTAH operation that
led to the deaths of two prominent gangsters) and said the
next-elected government needed to bolster the police. He also
saw a need to focus attention on education and providing
medicine to the needy. Supplice's comment that garnered the
most applause was his call for a Haitian Army to protect the
nation. Roumain's speech, nearly entirely in Creole, focused
on building modern and democratically-structured political
parties to change Haiti's status as an "ungovernable chaotic
entity."


9. (U) On April 14, PolOff attended the first national
congress of the National Christian Union for the
Reconstruction of Haiti (UNCRH). Part political rally, part
evangelical revival, close to 800 people nominated Dr.
Chavannes Jean Jeune as leader of the party. Noteworthy
guests included former President Leslie Manigat (RDNP's
candidate),Serge Gilles (Social Democrats' candidate),Evans
Paul (KID's candidate) and Dany Toussaint of MODEREH.


10. (U) Chavannes said the party must trust in God to lead
the country in the right direction. He claimed he had strong
support from the southern part of Haiti (his home) and from
the Diaspora. Americans Dr. Joseph (J.L.) Williams from the
North Carolina-based ministry New Directions International
and Ted Boers of Partners Worldwide (see
www.partnersworldwide.org/Haiti/who.html.) spoke fervently in
support of Chavannes as a unifying leader.


11. (SBU) In an April 11 meeting with UNCRH advisor (and
former IGOH Minister) Robert Ulysse, we learned Chavannes
would not be announced as the presidential candidate until
pending alliances were sorted out. Ulysse said, and Chavannes
repeated April 14, that UNCRH is allied with the Haitian
Civic-Political Front (FRONTCIPH),a loose electoral alliance
of right-wing and religious parties formed in September 1999.
Ulysse further said UNCRH was collaborating with the Social
Democrats (and might support Serge Gilles as the overall
candidate).

IV. MORE POSSIBLE PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATES
--------------


12. (U) Solon Joachim (PhD) called from Minnesota April 8
and told PolOff that he would run for the presidency. Joachim
is 65 years old and has a website "www.haitishope.com". He
has been outside of Haiti for nearly 40 years, which would be
an issue due to the residency requirements to participate in
elections. Joachim said he would run as an independent
candidate and challenge the constitution since it was
"written as a decree." (Note: it was not. End Note.)


13. (SBU) Dr. Guy Deve Theodore is a prominent physician in
Pignon, located 40 miles south from Cap-Haitien. Dr. Theodore
spent several years in the U.S. and was in the U.S. Air
Force. Dr. Theodore told EmbOff April 12 that he would travel
to Washington, D.C. next week to discuss elections (at the
Inter-American Dialogue). Theodore is an AmCit and local
warden and would have to challenge the electoral decree that
requires Haitian nationality (Note: the constitution does not
recognize dual-nationality. End Note.)

V. CEP COMMISSIONS
--------------

14. (SBU) Part of the fragmentation in the work of the CEP
stems from the vertical structure of the Commissions that was
adopted by the CEP. Even though members have their
individual commission responsibilities either as president or
as a member, all decisions by the commissions are still
reviewed by the CEP as a whole. This is a time consuming
process that also allows some room for the commissions to
avoid responsibility by being able to blame a lack of
progress on the CEP organization, which they created.


15. (U)
RECRUITMENT - Josefa Gauthier, President
ELECTORAL OPERATIONS - Patrick Fequiere, President
ADMINISTRATIVE - Rosemond Pradel, President
JURIDICAL (LEGAL) - Max Mathurin, President
CIVIC EDUCATION - Freud Jean, President
FINANCE AND BUDGET - Francois Benoit, President
PUBLIC RELATIONS - Gerson Richme, President
REGISTRATION - Pierre-Richard Duchemin, President

FOLEY