MUNICIPAL/LOCAL ELECTIONS DELAYED

UNCLAS PORT AU PRINCE 001668 SIPDIS SENSITIVE SIPDIS STATE FOR WHA/CAR DRL S/CRS SOUTHCOM ALSO FOR POLAD STATE PASS AID FOR LAC/CAR INR/IAA (BEN-YEHUDA) TREASURY FOR MAUREEN WAFER E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: PGOV PREL KDEM HA SUBJECT: MUNICIPAL/LOCAL ELECTIONS DELAYED REF: PAP 1605 ¶1. This message is sensitive but unclassified -- protect accordingly. ¶2. (SBU) The Secretary General's Special Representative (SRSG) in Haiti Edmond Mulet and President Preval on September 7 agreed to delay the date of municipal, local, and pending national elections until February 7. The CEP had earlier announced the date of these elections would be December 3 (reftel). Preval was to communicate his decision to the Provisional Electoral Council (CEP) the following day for the CEP to make the subsequent formal announcement. Mulet related the details of his private meeting with Preval to Polcouns on the evening of September 7 at Brazil's national day reception. Mulet said he had recommended a postponement for budget, security and logistical reasons and and that Preval had readily agreed, noting the additional time would allow him time to consult with political parties and civil society regarding the elections. Mullet underlined that in responding to Preval's request for increased security in Port-au-Prince, he had re-deployed significant numbers of troops and police that would be unavailable for elections duties in November. ¶3. (SBU) MINUSTAH elections chief Gerardo Lechevallier stated flatly in the same conversation that MINUSTAH and the CEP could not hold elections on December 3. MINUSTAH and the CEP did not have enough money on hand (even with the additional USG donation of $4 million) and the Canadian government and the European Union could make no firm commitment regarding when their additional donations would be available. Lechevallier also repeated concerns that the CEP had not finalized the lists of certified candidates, delaying ballot printing and distribution. CEP Director General Jacques Bernard has assured emboffs in earlier conversations that candidate certification would not delay the process. LeChevallier reassured Polcouns that the current CEP and MINUSTAH budget included funding for OAS functions in preparation for the upcoming elections, chiefly support of OAS chief technical advisor Felix Ortega and his team. ¶4. (SBU) Comment. According to electoral law, the CEP has the primary authority for establishing election dates, which the government must then confirm. Under present circumstances in Haiti, however, no one doubts that Preval's will be the final word. Preval had previously left Prime Minister Alexis to coordinate elections preparations with MINUSTAH and the CEP. His intervention at this stage to postpone elections -- departing from recent Haitian tradition of announcing delays at the last minute -- is a clear reminder that the security situation and changes within his government (post will report the details of a sub-ministerial shake-up septel) are far greater priorities for him at the moment. TIGHE