HAITI ELECTIONS: DONORS PUSH FOR EARLY SECOND

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 PORT AU PRINCE 000467 SIPDIS SIPDIS SOUTHCOM ALSO FOR POLAD E.O. 12958: DECL: 03/09/2016 TAGS: PGOV PREL KDEM PKAO EAID HA SUBJECT: HAITI ELECTIONS: DONORS PUSH FOR EARLY SECOND ROUND DATE REF: A. PORT-AU-PRINCE 410 ¶B. PORT-AU-PRINCE 355 Classified By: CDA Douglas Griffiths. Reasons 1.4 (b) and (d). ¶1. Summary: Donors met March 7 with CEP and Minustah representatives to urge that the calendar for the second round legislative elections be established as soon as possible. Minustah and the CEP discussed a possible timeline for completion of the contestation process and necessary logistical preparations. The week of April 17-21 was proffered as most likely by Provisional Electoral Council (CEP) Director General Jacques Bernard, CEP Councilor Pierre-Richard Duchemin, and MINUSTAH Elections Chief Gerardo Lechevallier. Adding to the confusion, subsequent media reports quoted CEP Secretary General Rosemond Pradel that the election would take place during the second week of April. President-elect Preval reacted serenely when Charge informed him of a possible late April innauguration. Preval stuck to his insistence that he be sworn in before a seated Parliament. End Summary. Push to Establish Calendar -------------- ¶2. (C) Canadian Ambassador Boucher hosted the March 7 Donors meeting to push for establishment of the second round electoral calendar. Charge and Brazilian Ambassador echoed Boucher's observations on the need to establish the calendar as soon as possible and to hold the elections as soon as feasible. In addition to setting the calendar, the CEP was urged to prepare a public information strategy to explain the delay particularly to mollify Preval supporters who want to see the original March 29 inauguration date respected. Donors also strongly suggested that the CEP reach out to the Preval team to ensure Preval's buy-in on the now necessary delay to the process. This was taken under advisement but had clearly not been considered necessary by the CEP. Contestations -------------- ¶3. (C) DG Bernard told the group that the Communal and Departmental-level Electoral Bureaus (BECs and BEDs respectively) received approximately 140 contestations with very few rising to level-CEP adjudication. Bernard then deferred to Duchemin, the Councilor in charge of the contestation process, who said the process should be complete by Friday, March 17. (Note: Both Bernard and Duchemin were respectful of each other without any indication of the previously-noted animosity between them. End note.) Of the BEDs reporting as of March 7, the CEP was reviewing two cases from the second West Department BED and one case from the South Department. The North West Department reported no cases for CEP-level review. After resolution of the contestations, the CEP must issue the final, official candidates list. It is from this list that the ballots are prepared for printing. Ballot Printing -------------- ¶4. (C) Printers will prepare for the legislative elections in two tranches of 3-4 days. The first includes nine departments. The West Department makes up the second tranche. Printing the voter lists will take 2-3 days. The rough timeline outlined by Bernard had ballots and voter lists ready for distribution by April 5. MINUSTAH officials previously claimed 10 days are needed for complete distribution of election materials (Ref B). This coincides with the claim that the CEP and MINUSTAH could be ready by April 16. Donors raised other timing concerns regarding the tabulation of results. Both Bernard and Lechevallier said that the tabulation process should proceed rather quickly as the individual contests were not as complicated, six candidates in each departmental Senate race and two candidates in each of the 99 districts for the Chamber of Deputies. Additionally, the official tally sheets, process verbaux, completed at each polling station at the conclusion of voting will be pre-printed with the candidates names. This alleviates a difficulty encountered during the tabulation of the first round results where candidates were PORT AU PR 00000467 002 OF 002 handwritten in random order on the tally sheets. Easter Holiday Issue -------------- ¶5. (C) Despite being pushed on scheduling the election as soon as possible, Bernard and Lechevallier argued against holding the election during Holy Week preceding Easter citing public resistance and logistical difficulties. The following day, March 8, CEP Secretary General Pradel announced that the CEP was considering scheduling the election during the second week of April, e.g., Holy Week. CEP Councilor Josefa Gauthier told poloff March 9 that the CEP was to meet that day to make a final decision on the date. She said that the dates being considered were either April 12 or April 17. Next Donors Meeting -------------- ¶6. (C) Ambassador Boucher made a specific request of the working-level UNDP official present to provide a specific and precise budget projection taking into account the delays encountered in the electoral calendar in advance of the next Donors meeting scheduled for March 14. Comment -------------- ¶7. (C) Comment: The CEP members themselves do not appear to be as concerned about the impact of the Easter holiday. Nevertheless, the decision on the electoral calendar is yet to be made and all the dates swirling around still remain speculative. Once the CEP makes the final determination on the calendar, it will be up to the executive to formally issue it by printing it in the official government gazette, Le Moniteur. President-elect Preval has expressed a certain degree of patience in public regarding the delay. However, his goodwill should not be squandered with continued delays. We will continue to strongly encourage prompt action by the CEP and will also push the executive to complete the process with timely publication of the CEP's decision once made. End Comment. GRIFFITHS