HAITI ELECTIONS: ROLES OF THE NEWLY ELECTED

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 03 PORT AU PRINCE 002246

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

STATE FOR WHA/EX AND WHA/CAR
S/CRS
SOUTHCOM ALSO FOR POLAD
STATE PASS AID FOR LAC/CAR
INR/IAA (BEN-YEHUDA)
WHA/EX PLEASE PASS USOAS

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: PGOV PREL HA
SUBJECT: HAITI ELECTIONS: ROLES OF THE NEWLY ELECTED

REF: PORT AU PRINCE 900

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1. (U) Summary: The December 3 election moves Haiti closer
to the decentralized governmental structure outlined in the
1987 constitution. Haitians will vote for candidates for the
communal section administrative councils (CASECs),communal
section assemblies (ASECs),municipal councils and town
delegations. Three senate seats and 11 seats in the chamber
of deputies are also up for election. These elected bodies
will later go on to select and send representatives to
several non-elected councils and assemblies at higher levels
of government. With the local and municipal positions
filled, Haiti should be better equipped to provide services
to its citizens. Increased government presence on a local
level could theoretically bring much-needed services to more
citizens and increase Haitians' feelings of inclusion in the
democratic process. However, budget shortfalls, lack of
training and the absence of a clear mandate will continue to
hamstring the newly-filled offices. End Summary.


2. (U) The Haitian constitution of 1987 partitions the
country into three territorial divisions. From smallest to
largest, the divisions are: communal sections, of which there
are 568; municipalities (sometimes referred to as communes),
of which there are 140; and departments, of which there are
ten. All three territorial divisions have executive councils
and legislative assemblies. Lavalas partisans made up the
majority of officials elected to communal section and
municipal offices in 2000. The opposition ran most of the
Lavalasian officials out of office following the ouster of
Jean-Bertrand Aristide in 2004, and the IGoH appointed
replacements. Candidates for these positions are only
required to receive a relative majority in order to be
elected; therefore, there need only be one round of these
elections.

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Communal Section: ASEC and CASEC
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3. (U) Haiti is divided into 568 communal sections. Each has
its own "communal section administrative council" (CASEC),
which consists of three members who run together on a single
party slate. CASEC members serve five-year terms and operate
like local executive branches, overseeing rural areas that do
not have a city government. Responsibilities of the CASECs
include management of public resources and execution of laws
at the communal section level.


4. (U) Each communal section also has a "communal section
assembly" (ASEC),ranging from seven to 25 members and
elected from party slates. ASECs are on the same five-year
election cycle as the CASECs and serve as the legislative
body for rural areas. Additional responsibilities of the
ASECs include: overseeing the work of the corresponding
CASEC; nominating Justices of the Peace; and selecting one
representative to serve on the municipal assembly.

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Municipalities: Municipal Council and Town Delegation
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5. (U) Haiti's 140 municipalities each have two types of
elected positions. The first are the 3-member "municipal
councils", of which the mayor is the principal official. As
with CASECs, three candidates run as a party slate, with one
being designated as President of the council and serving as
mayor. Municipal councils serve five-year terms.
Responsibilities of the municipal councils include: (1)
management of state resources in the municipality (financial
resources, property, buildings, public health centers,
markets, roads, forests, municipal employees); (2) execution
of laws, decrees and other measures that concern the
municipality; (3) proposing a budget; (4) management of
revenue and expenditures, including collection of certain tax
revenue; and (5) ensuring the maintenance of public health.


6. (U) Each municipality also has a "town delegation" made up
of delegates elected from towns in the region. Town
delegations make up part of the municipal assemblies and are

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responsible for overseeing the work of the municipal council,
including approving the council's budget, and selecting
members to serve on the departmental councils.

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Additional Races: Senate and Chamber of Deputies
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7. (U) The December 3 election will also decide the fate of
the three outstanding senate seats and 11 chamber of deputies
contests that remained undecided following the April 21
parliamentary elections (ref A).

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Non-Elected Institutions to be Established Post Elections
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8. (U) The formation of several other non-elected bodies
hinges on the successful completion of these elections. Each
of the 140 municipalities will have a "municipal assembly"
comprised of all of the town delegations in the municipality
as well as one representative selected by each of the ASECs.
The municipal assemblies also select one member each to serve
on the departmental assemblies.


9. (U) There are no elected positions at the departmental
level, but the following non-elected institutions are
required by Haiti's constitution, although they have yet to
be established. Each of Haiti's 10 departments has one
"departmental assembly", comprised of one member selected
from each municipal assembly. In addition to being the
legislative body at the department level, departmental
assemblies elect and oversee the work of the departmental
council, select a member to serve on the interdepartmental
council, nominate certain judges and nominate candidates for
the Permanent Electoral Council (see paragraph 12).


10. (U) The "departmental council" draws up the government's
development plan in cooperation with the central government.
The council is charged to manage its financial resources for
the exclusive benefit of the department and renders its
accounts to the departmental assembly.


11. (U) The "interdepartmental council", in concert with the
Executive, studies and plans projects for decentralization
and development of the country from the social, economic,
commercial, agricultural and industrial standpoint. The
interdepartmental council members have voting rights in the
Council of Ministers on issues of development and
decentralization.


12. (U) The final nine members of the Permanent Electoral
Council are chosen from among the nominees by all three
branches of national government. Because the departmental
assemblies and councils have never been established, a
Permanent Electoral Council has never been formed. All
elections to date have been overseen by a Provisional
Electoral Council.

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Significant Changes
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13. (U) The December 3 elections pave the way for a return to
norms outlined in the Haitian constitution. The drafters of
the 1987 constitution envisioned the decentralization of
government as one of the pillars of the new Haiti. The
departmental and interdepartmental councils have large roles
in planning this decentralization, and the lower level
assemblies and councils are the mechanisms through which the
country will execute these plans. Rooted in Haitians' scorn
for the Duvalier dictatorships, this multi-branch system of
government has built-in checks and balances at every level.
Ideally, this will reduce the corruption common among Haitian
government officials. Additionally, the new officials will
be tasked with nominating judges for positions that have long
gone unfilled, and the formation of the Permanent Electoral
Council should lead to more regular elections.

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Unresolved and Chronic Problems
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14. (U) Haitian government at the local and regional level
has for a long time been confronted with a lack of financial,
technical and human resources. Locally elected officials and
municipal employees rarely have a clear idea of their
prerogatives, don't receive adequate training and aren't
fully aware of the means of operation at their disposal.
This general lack of resources, organization and basic
information impedes the local governments from assuming the
administrative, technical and financial autonomy granted to
them under the constitution of 1987.


15. (U) The local and municipal elections on December 3 will
result in about 10,000 elected officials, all of whom would
expect a government supported salary as well as associated
benefits. The GoH is already unable to pay salaries of
currently employed civil servants and will not be able to pay
all of the newly elected officials. As has been the case
with recently elected members of parliament, the lack of pay
will probably distract local and municipal officials from
their duties and lessen their effectiveness.
SANDERSON