HAITIAN PARLIAMENT PASSES PROCUREMENT LAW

UNCLAS PORT AU PRINCE 000558 STATE FOR WHA/EX AND WHA/CAR EB/IFD S/CRS SOUTHCOM ALSO FOR POLAD STATE PASS AID FOR LAC/CAR INR/IAA TREASURY FOR ERIN NEPHEW WHA/EX PLEASE PASS USOAS USTR FOR KENT SHIGATOMI E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: ECON PGOV KCRM HA SUBJECT: HAITIAN PARLIAMENT PASSES PROCUREMENT LAW ¶1. (U) Haiti's lower house of Parliament on June 10 passed the long-awaited Procurement Law, one of the requirements established by the International Monetary Fund (IMF) for Highly Indebted Poor Country (HIPC) completion point achievement. The bill passed by a vote of 62 for and 2 abstentions, and was voted without changes from the Haitian Senate version, passed in May. Parliament sent the bill to the President, who signed it on June 12 and transmitted it to the official GoH gazette for same-day publication. The bill passed the legislature speedily by Haitian parliamentary standards, having been introduced only last February. ¶2. (U) The IMF has agreed to waive its original condition that the law be implemented for 6 months prior to granting HIPC completion point. The IMF can thus approve HIPC completion point, and the subsequent external debt forgiveness of nearly USD 1 billion, by the end of June. ¶3. (U) The Lower House's Commission of Economy, Finance, Commerce and Industry, in its original submission to the Chamber, listed the following benefits of the new law: --better functioning of the National Procurement Commission; --increased regulation of GoH procurement; --more transparency and better, faster purchasing; --more efficient anti-corruption measures; --promotion of small and medium enterprises; --and improved and equal access to the bidding process.