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
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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

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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