CAP HAITIEN'S UNSAVORY NEW LAVALAS MAYOR

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 PORT AU PRINCE 000512 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: DECL: 03/14/2017 TAGS: PGOV PREL KDEM PINR HA SUBJECT: CAP HAITIEN'S UNSAVORY NEW LAVALAS MAYOR REF: PORT AU PRINCE 477 PORT AU PR 00000512 001.2 OF 002 Classified By: Ambassador Janet A. Sanderson for reasons 1.4 (b) and (d ). ¶1. (C) Summary: Fanmi Lavalas (FL) won the December 3 mayoral election in Cap Haitien, Haiti's second largest city. The three-person slate, consisting of mayor-elect Michel Saint Croix and two deputy mayors, has little experience in formal politics but campaigned heavily in Cap Haitien's urban slums to garner support. They have laid out a four-part program that focuses on tourism, education, cultural renewal and security. Saint Croix is a controversial figure and already has an established set of friends and enemies in the city. He attempted to emphasize the strength of FL, but the slate won with just 23.5 percent of the vote and voter turnout was only 18 percent. Additionally, his paranoia about USG interest in him is demonstrative of his vulnerability. End Summary. -------------- Biographical Information -------------- ¶2. (U) Poloff met with all three members of the Lavalas mayoral slate - Michel Saint Croix, Fritz Joseph, and Philocles St Fleur - on March 2. Saint Croix has never held political office but described himself as an ''experienced administrator.'' His previous jobs include president of the local Red Cross and director of a high school and a middle school. St Fleur described himself as the group's ''technical advisor.'' He is a trained economist and has been a professor of economics as well as an employee at the central tax authority (DGI in French). Fritz Joseph is a self-proclaimed theologian. All three remarked that their diverse backgrounds will help them govern by providing different perspectives and facilitating networking across sectors. -------------- Proposed Programs -------------- ¶3. (U) Summing up his party's platform, Saint Croix stated that ''Lavalas works for the disadvantaged and for the emancipation of the poor.'' As mayor, he hoped to form a ''coalition government'' by soliciting commentary and assistance from all sectors of society. He outlined the slate's specific program for Cap Haitien, which has four elements generally centered on development. First, they want to promote tourism in Cap Haitien, which will include not only building roads and other infrastructure to support the tourist industry, but also clean-up and environmental restoration projects. Specifically, he mentioned creating a garbage dump. The second focus is education, which Saint Croix described as both supporting schools and providing training for youth and other citizens on their civic duties. Third, they plan to launch a ''cultural renewal'' including renovating the historic downtown and supporting local artisans. Lastly, they will focus on security. Saint Croix said that Cap Haitien has ''almost no physical security problem,'' but there is a problem of ''social security,'' by which he means social issues faced by the citizens such as housing, economic well-being and class warfare. The slate was not knowledgeable about the condition of the mayoral budget or potential sources of revenue for the city. -------------- Friends and Enemies -------------- ¶4. (U) Saint Croix is a polarizing figure in Cap Haitien. He listed among his close allies police chief Kesnel Pierre. Local port authorities reported to Poloff that Saint Croix also works closely with former FL deputy Nahoum Marcellus and one of the justices of the peace, Ronald Pierre (reftel). However, Saint Croix admitted that he also has many enemies in the city. He included in this group outspoken local journalists and civil society groups, and as recent additions the authorities at the port (reftel). Saint Croix claimed he PORT AU PR 00000512 002.2 OF 002 had been threatened by an American UNPOL officer when he went to tell a crowd of protesting Lavalasians to go home on February 24 (reftel). He continually emphasized that ''Everyone tells lies about us.'' -------------- Lavalas Strength Limited to Cap -------------- ¶5. (U) Saint Croix claimed that 70 to 80 percent of the population of Cap Haitien supports Fanmi Lavalas (FL). He specifically noted his slate's popularity in the town's slums, noting that ''even little children know me and like me.'' He said that most of his campaigning was focused in those areas. Saint Croix also pointed out that FL also won the December 3 elections for town delegate, communal section administrative council (CASEC),and communal section assembly (ASEC) in Cap Haitien. Although ''Pont'' - the party founded by former Prime Minister Jean Marie Cherestal - was stronger in some neighboring communes, Saint Croix claimed that Pont is really another wing of FL. (Note: The Cap Haitien FL mayoral slate won with 23.5 percent of the vote, or 3577 votes. Voter turnout in Cap was only 18 percent, and Fanmi Lavalas garnered only 50 posts in the whole country out of a total of over 1500, coming in 13th out of the parties campaigning in local elections. End note.) ¶6. (C) Comment: Saint Croix was extremely suspicious of Poloff. He inquired why Poloff wanted to meet with him, and did not seem to believe that there is nothing abnormal about someone from the Embassy meeting with elected government officials. He was also apprehensive because Poloff appeared to already know who he and his two colleagues were when they entered the room, and was overly concerned about who Poloff had talked to about him and what they had said. When Poloff noted Saint Croix's radio comments calling for reconciliation between the port and the mayors, he apprehensively questioned who had revealed that information. Clearly, the newly-elected slate is mistrustful of the U.S. However, they did invite Poloff to be an honored guest at their swearing-in ceremony. ¶7. (C) Comment continued: By their own admission, none of the members of the mayoral slate have much political experience. From what post can gather, they have been loyal FL partisans, working with Marcellus while he was deputy, and have won the election mainly due to low overall voter turnout and their large base in the urban slums. They evinced limited political savvy and had limited knowledge of what their role would be once sworn in. As detailed in reftel, their priority for the moment seems to be regaining control of patronage positions for their supporters. We hear anecdotally that ruffian politicians of various stripes from various parties won local races. Their victory in Haiti's second largest city with an important port is cause for particular concern. Additionally, though we do not believe the FL victory in Cap reflects significant national or even regional strength, the FL label still raises a red flag for many Haitians, adding to an atmosphere of tension and distrust. SANDERSON