CORE GROUP FOCUSED ON ELECTORAL PROGRESS

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 PORT AU PRINCE 002593

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STATE FOR WHA/CAR
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SOUTHCOM ALSO FOR POLAD
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E.O. 12958: DECL: 04/18/2015
TAGS: PGOV PREL PHUM ASEC HA
SUBJECT: CORE GROUP FOCUSED ON ELECTORAL PROGRESS


Classified By: Charge d'Affaires Timothy M. Carney for reasons 1.4 (B)
and (D)


1. (C) SUMMARY: At a Core Group meeting on October 14,
Special Representative of the Secretary General Juan Gabriel
Valdes told participants that the IGOH had named Jacques
Bernard as the Director General of the Provisional Electoral
Council (CEP). Bernard, a former banker and agrobusinessman
who currently resides in the United States, reluctantly
agreed to take the job at the insistence of Prime Minister
Gerard Latortue. (NOTE: Post will provide a more complete bio
of Bernard septel. END NOTE.) Bernard's role will be to
quickly remove the remaining obstacles to elections. Valdes
remained stalwart on the February 7 deadline, but expressed
concern that the CEP might be less dedicated to keeping that
date. With respect to the new commission formed to examine
the nationality of every candidate, Valdes stated that
MINUSTAH should not get involved in this, except in the event
that protracted delays by such a commission were to delay the
electoral calendar. Valdes also reported that the IGOH had
satisfactorily finalized the decrees on campaign finance and
the elimination of the Supreme Court from the appeals
process. Charge asked SRSG about the status of several
overdue human rights investigations, and Valdes responded
that the reports from the investigations would be
forthcoming. END SUMMARY.

Jacques Bernard ---


2. (C) Valdes began the meeting with the announcement of
the appointment of Jacques Bernard as Director General of the
CEP. He expected this announcement to negate the need for
the Electoral Support Committee, which he believed would
quickly dissolve. Bernard was a banker and agrobusinessman
who also had some elections experience in Africa, according
to Valdes. His role was to quickly remove the remaining
obstacles to the elections, such as: establishment of
communal offices; publication of candidate lists; and
designation of ballot designs, party symbol and order of
appearance on the ballot, among others. Valdes expected him
to turn the CEP into an administrative committee that would
accomplish tasks rather than set policy.

February 7 ---


3. (C) Valdes renewed MINUSTAH's commitment to the February
7 deadline for transition of power, and he stated his belief
that Prime Minister Latortue was equally committed. However,
he was uncertain with respect to the CEP and the Electoral
Support Committee, which felt that their job was to produce
proper elections, regardless of the timeline. Valdes also
reported that the IGOH had successfully reached consensus on
two decrees, one governing campaign finance and the other
removing the Haitian Supreme Court from the electoral appeals
process. Valdes said that the removal of the Court would
save a few days in the electoral calendar. That
notwithstanding, Valdes viewed November 12 as the absolute
last date by which the IGOH and CEP must have published the
candidate lists, established the voting centers, and hired
the elections employees in order to meet the February 7
deadline.

Simeus ---

4) (C) Valdes then made reference to the commission
established by PM Latortue on October 13 to investigate the
nationality of every candidate. Participants generally
agreed that the commission was aimed directly at Dumarsais
Simeus representing the Tet Ansanm party. However, Valdes
said that he feared this would blow up to encompass several
other candidates who might have dual citizenship, such as
Samir Mourra. He worried that this could cause major
problems both in terms of the candidates and the electoral
calendar.

5) (C) Lastly, Valdes brought up a disconnect between UN
elections personnel and the CEP regarding the number of
voting centers to be established. While the initially agreed
upon number of centers was 600, the CEP now wanted 1785
centers, which Valdes dismissed as ridiculous. Valdes
estimated that the likely number of centers would be around

800. Addressing concerns of disenfranchised voters in rural
areas, Valdes floated the possibility of having mobile voting
centers. Valdes assured the participants that MINUSTAH would
be capable of securing all the polling sites with its current
force level.

Human Rights Reports Forthcoming? ---

6) (C) The Charge asked SRSG Valdes when MINUSTAH would be
publishing the results of its investigations into reported
human rights abuses by both Haitian National Police and
MINUSTAH forces. Valdes replied that some of these reports
would be made public soon, but that one report, on the
Martissant soccer stadium killings, would not be released
because MINUSTAH wanted to integrate their findings with
those of the HNP. The Charge promised to follow up within a
week.

7) (C) The meeting ended with a discussion of Cite Soleil
(several members of the diplomatic corps visited the election
registration site in Cite Soleil on October 14 under
Jordanian military escort). The Brazilian ambassador stated
his appreciation for the ongoing electoral and security
operations inside Cite Soleil, calling them success stories
and thanking the SRSG for the efforts. Valdes seized upon
the opportunity to reiterate that no negotiations had taken
place with gangsters in Cite Soleil, stating that the
conditions for electoral participation had been clearly
stated by MINUSTAH to area political leaders, and that the
political leaders had guaranteed a peaceful registration.


8. COMMENT: Post hopes the appointment of Bernard and the
publication of the decrees will be steps in the right
direction, but we await concrete results. Many contacts
wonder if the elections are being manipulated at the
institutional level, and to what end. Speculation abounds as
to the motives of the IGOH's vendetta against Simeus, whose
cachet has only been enhanced by the free publicity. END
COMMENT.
CARNEY