LEGISLATIVE ELECTION RESULTS FINALIZED

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 03 PORT AU PRINCE 000828 SIPDIS SIPDIS SOUTHCOM ALSO FOR POLAD E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: PGOV KDEM PREL HA SUBJECT: LEGISLATIVE ELECTION RESULTS FINALIZED REF: PORT-AU-PRINCE 765 ¶1. (U) The Provisional Electoral Council (CEP) certified the results of the April 21 Parliamentary elections on May 6. The results are official with their May 8 publication in the official government gazette, Le Moniteur. As finalized, the results include 27 Senators and 86 Deputies and differ little from the information reported reftel. The investiture of the majority of certified winners of the 48th Parliament occurred at the Legislative Palace by candle light the evening of May 8 due to a power outage and an inoperable generator. There are only four women out of the current 113 members of the National Assembly, three Senators and one Deputy. ¶2. (U) Senate: Voters elected 27 Senators from nine departments were elected in the April 21 election. The results from the North East Department yielded six candidates who will compete for the three Senate seats from this remaining department in a second round election at a date yet to be determined by the CEP. There follows a list by department of the elected Senators with political party affiliation, term duration, and percentage of vote received. Below there is also a political party distribution for the upper legislative chamber. The Senate terms will be staggered with the candidate coming in first receiving a six-year term, second receiving a four-year term and third place a two-year term. West Department -Jean Hector ANACASIS, Lespwa (75.13%) -Rudy HERIVEAUX, Lavalas (45.81%) -Evelyne CHERON, Lavalas (41.28%) Artibonite Department -Youri LATORTUE, LAAA (55.4%) -Noel Emmanuel LIMAGE, Lespwa (46.67%) -F. Fouchard BERGROME, LAAA (33.13%) Center Department -Edmonde SUPPLICE B., Fusion (45.22%) -Jean Wilbert JACQUES, Lespwa (41%) -Ultime COMPERE, Lespwa (40.6%) Grande Anse Department -Michel CLERIE, Fusion (46.91%) -Andris RICHE, OPL (44.47%) -Jean Maxime ROUMER, Lespwa (34.88%) Nippes Department -Nenel CASSY, Lespwa (43.91%) -Jean Joseph PIERRE LOUIS, OPL (40.17%) -Huguette LAMOUR, Fusion (37.54%) North Department -Kely BASTIEN, Lespwa (53.88%) -Cemephise GILLES, Lespwa (44.24%) -Antoine Rene SAMSON, Lespwa (41.34%) North West Department -Evalliere BEAUPLAN, Pont (39.26%) -Eddy BASTIEN, Alyans (37.82%) -Melius HYPPOLITE, OPL (33.13%) South Department -Yvon BUISSERETH, Lavalas (48.08%) -Fritz Carlos LEBON, Union (43.18%) -Jena Gabriel FORTUNE, Union (35.25%) South East Department -Joseph LAMBERT, Lespwa (53.62%) -Laurent Fequiere MATHURIN, Lespwa (36.73%) -Ricard PIERRE, OPL (36.4%) Senate Political Party Distribution -------------- Party 6-year 4-year 2-year Total -------------- LESPWA 4 4 3 11 OPL - 2 2 4 LAVALAS 1 1 1 3 FUSION 2 - 1 3 LAAA 1 - 1 2 PORT AU PR 00000828 002 OF 003 UNION - 1 1 2 ALYANS - 1 - 1 PONT 1 - - 1 - 27 ¶3. CHAMBER OF DEPUTIES: The results certified by the CEP and published in Le Moniteur included 86 seats for four-year terms in the Chamber of Deputies. The results from two districts (circonscriptions) in the Artibonite Department, Verrettes and Saint Michel/Marmelade, are still the subject of investigations and the winners have not yet been declared. (Note: Saint Michel/Marmelade is President-elect Preval's home district.) In Grand Saline, also in the Artibonite, a voting center was closed due to a security incident and that election will be re-run. As reported reftel, three of the 13 first round re-runs held April 21 will not require a second round as one candidate received an absolute majority in each of those races. In conjunction with the pending second round election for Senate in the North East Department, there will be at least 11, possibly 13, second round Deputy races to be held. A complete list of Deputies by district and political party affiliation will be provided septel. Chamber of Deputies Political Party Distribution -------------- --- Party Total -------------- LESPWA 19 FUSION 15 ALYANS 10 OPL 8 LAVALAS 6 UNION 6 MPH 4 RDNP 4 LAAA 3 KONBA 3 FRN 1 MOCHRENHA 1 MRN 1 TET ANSANM 1 MIRN 1 JPDN 1 UNITE 1 PLH 1 - 86 ¶4. (U) Only two members of the 48th Legislature were members of the 47th Legislature which concluded in January 2004. Evalliere Beauplan, former Lavalas Senator, was elected to a six-year Senate term under Jean Marie Cherestal's Pont banner from the North West Department. Lavalas stalwart Rudy Heriveaux, a Deputy in the 47th Legislature from the Trou du Nord district of the North East Department, will take his seat as Senator from the West Department with a four-year term. ¶5. (SBU) Post will provide septel more biographical information on the new members of Parliament, but one member deserves mention at this point. Incoming Deputy, Willot Joseph, was released from jail May 6 just in time to participate in his Parliamentary investiture. Joseph was arrested and held since early January 2006 on suspected stolen vehicle charges. Despite his incarceration, he came in second out of four candidates on February 7, and beat Fusion's candidate convincingly in the April 21 run-off. Joseph is notorious in the Central Plateau area and is believed by human rights activists to have been implicated in human rights violations in the region. His history and ability to command press attention will bear watching as the new legislature undertakes its new responsibilities. ¶6. (SBU) Comment: The number of parties and lack of any clear majority in either legislative house will likely make for interesting observation if not amusing theater. Of more significance will be how Preval handles Parliament. His Lespwa party is less an actual political party and more of a successful electoral platform. Additionally, Haiti's political parties in general are weak structures, many held together by the force of a party leader's personality. It will be necessary to focus international assistance on institution strengthening for the Parliament as well as PORT AU PR 00000828 003 OF 003 continued work with the political parties. ¶7. (SBU) Comment continued: We will press the CEP and President Preval to set the date for the pending second round elections, and, more importantly, for municipal and local elections. In the immediate term, we will work with our international partners, MINUSTAH, and GOH counterparts to rationalize the anticipated budget shortfall for the municipal and local elections. CEP Director General has said both publicly and privately that preparations for the municipal and local elections are well in-hand and the election could take place by late June if the political decision is made to go forward and the budget shortfall can be covered. End comment. SANDERSON