Identifier
Created
Classification
Origin
06PORTAUPRINCE136
2006-01-20 13:52:00
UNCLASSIFIED
Embassy Port Au Prince
Cable title:  

HAITI ELECTIONS: USG-FUNDED NGO ACTIVITIES UPDATE

Tags:  PGOV PREL EAID HA 
pdf how-to read a cable
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TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 2114
INFO RUEHZH/HAITI COLLECTIVE
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RUEAIIA/CIA WASHDC
RUMIAAA/HQ USSOUTHCOM J2 MIAMI FL
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RUCNDT/USMISSION USUN NEW YORK 0794
RUCTFOA/CCGD SEVEN MIAMI FL//OLE/OI//
UNCLAS PORT AU PRINCE 000136 

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: PGOV PREL EAID HA
SUBJECT: HAITI ELECTIONS: USG-FUNDED NGO ACTIVITIES UPDATE

UNCLAS PORT AU PRINCE 000136

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: PGOV PREL EAID HA
SUBJECT: HAITI ELECTIONS: USG-FUNDED NGO ACTIVITIES UPDATE


1. (U) Summary: Representatives from four USG-funded NGOs
(UNOPS, IRI, NDI, and IFES) met with USAID project manager
and poloff to review status and activities of election
support projects. The meeting, held weekly, serves to ensure
coordination and information sharing between projects funded
through USAID. During the January 17 meeting, UNOPS briefed
group on the increasing use of its regional Centers for
Political Party Logistic Support (CALPPs). IFES
representatives indicated that its short term observer (STO)
mission may be reduced due to budget constraints and also
raised several issues of concern regarding election
preparations. End Summary.


2. (U) UNOPS representatives provided readouts of the
activities currently underway in the political party support
project, including a positive assessment from a January 11
meeting in Port-au-Prince of all managers from the regional
CALPPs. Broad trends across the CALPPs indicated that
political party representatives are using the photocopy
machines and transportation services while the meeting rooms
and computer/word processing access are less in demand.
Additionally, UNOPS reported that they have installed the
Communication Support Project and the system is operational
at the Provisional Electoral Council (CEP) offices. UNOPS
personnel also assisted the CEP accreditation office recently
by providing additional typewriters for use by an expanded
staff to prepare credentials for national and international
election observers.


3. (U) The IFES Observation Mission continues to have five
two-person election observation and monitoring teams in the
field in addition to the chief observer and deputy based in
Port-au-Prince. With the change of the election date to
February 7 prolonging the electoral season, IFES will face a
possible budget shortfall possibly requiring a reduction in
the size of the STO mission. Currently, plans call for
deployment 30 STOs for coverage of actual election day
coverage. (Note: With the new electoral calendar, we
understand that both the Canadian-led International Mission
for Monitoring Haitian Elections (MIEEH) and the EU
Observation Mission (EUOM) may be facing similar budget
constraints. Post will make inquiries and report septel. End
note.)


4. (U) Participants debated the lines separating the
legality of an election from the credibility of the process
lending legitimacy to the result. There was general accord
that at this stage, the process, though flawed, may still
produce an acceptable result. IFES representatives also
raised five specific concerns related to the electoral
process: the CEP's inability to provide names of staff for
each polling station (bureau de vote, BVs),unclear
procedures for transmission of results from individual BVs to
the tabulation center, pending distribution of the remaining
900,000 voter registration/national identity cards, claims
that as much as one-third of the electorate will have to
travel significant distances to their polling place due to
the inadequate number of voting centers, and serious
reservations over the quality of the ballot boxes.


5. (SBU) Comment: Issues raised by IFES and the Canadian
and EU observer missions closely correspond to concerns of
the political parties and the general public. We are
confident that the CEP and MINUSTAH have addressed these
issues, but the uncertainty that continues to predominate in
both domestic and international circles reinforces the need
for the CEP to focus urgently on providing public
information. International observers also express increasing
unease over legal corners that elections authorities have had
to cut. Post shares these concerns, but we remain convinced
that CEP Director Jacques Bernard and MINUSTAH officials have
taken reasonable steps and crafted reasonable compromises in
order to make sure credible elections proceed. We will
continue to remind everyone that the goal of these elections
is to produce a result that fairly reflects the will of the
Haitian people, and that the election process should be
judged on that standard. End Comment.




CARNEY