US AND CANADA UNDERLINE INCLUSIVITY WITH NEW

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 PORT AU PRINCE 000927 SENSITIVE SIPDIS STATE FOR S, C, WHA/CAR, DRL, S/CRS, INL FOR KEVIN BROWN, HEATHER WILD AND MEAGAN MCBRIDE INR/IAA SOUTHCOM ALSO FOR POLAD STATE PASS AID FOR LAC/CAR E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: PGOV PREL KAID PINR HA SUBJECT: US AND CANADA UNDERLINE INCLUSIVITY WITH NEW PROVISIONAL ELECTORAL COUNCIL PORT AU PR 00000927 001.2 OF 002 ¶1. (SBU) SUMMARY. President Preval replaced four members of the Provisional Electoral Council, including the president and vice-president, by sidelining political parties and reaching out instead to the voodoo sector and communal leaders. In a joint meeting with the CEP on November 3, Charge and Canadian Ambassador stressed the necessity of fair and inclusive elections. END SUMMARY. ¶2. (U) On October 16, President Preval appointed four new members of the Provisional Electoral Council (CEP) replacing the controversial president (Frantz Verret) and vice-president (Rodol Pierre). The voodoo sector and the Federation of CASECS (Communal Section Administrative Councils) was each given a representative on the CEP. The Catholic Church and the Council of Political Parties each replaced its representative on the CEP. Five counselors retained their positions, including Ginette Cherubin, a former Minister of Women,s Affairs, who is regarded as a trusted ally of President Preval. ¶3. (U) In response to the opposition parties call for a replacement of the entire CEP, Preval decided to exclude the Convention of Political Parties from the CEP, and replaced them with a representative from the Federation of CASECS (communal leaders). ¶4. (U) The new members are: -- Jean Theleve Pierre Toussaint, representative of the Federation of CASECS. Toussaint takes the seat of the Convention of Political Parties representative. He is a lawyer by training, but served as an administrator at the Ministry of Education most recently. -- Ribel Pierre, representative of the Council of Political Parties (another group of opposition parties). The group changed its representative, citing the previous CEP's lack of legitimacy. Pierre represents the Christian Democrat Party (PDCH),which is very popular in the Center and Artibonite Departments. -- Antenor Guerrier, representative of the voodoo sector. Guerrier is a voodoo priest and studied accounting in Florida. -- Jean Enel Desir, representative of the Catholic Church. Desir replaces Frantz Verret, whom the Catholic Church decided to change following the controversies linked to allegations of fraud during the senatorial elections. Opposition parties saw Verret as a Preval crony, and had demanded his removal. ¶5. (U) Gaillot Dorsinvil (representative of the handicapped sector and member of the previous CEP) and Pierre Toussaint (above) respectively become president and vice-president of the Council. ¶6. (SBU) On November 3, Charge and the Canadian Ambassador, accompanied by their respective political counselors, paid a courtesy call on the new Provisional Electoral Council. The joint visit was done to add emphasis to the message that the USG and Canada are interested in ensuring that next parliamentary elections are not postponed, are inclusive of all parties, and are free and fair. The Canadian Ambassador raised vetting of candidates, asking that it be more transparent and rigorous. The US and Canada are, with the EU, historically the largest donors to elections. ¶7. (SBU) All but one of the Council members were present for the meeting. Gaillot Dorsinvil and Laurette Croyrance (both holdovers from the previous CEP) were quick to comment on the ''inclusivity'' request, launching into a spirited defense of the CEP's actions in excluding the Fanmi Lavalas party in the last elections, while indicating they hoped to see Lavalas in the next election cycle. Secretary General Leonel Raphael (also a holdover) suggested that he had heard that the two Lavalas factions were moving to patch up their differences, which would make it easy for the Council to accept their proposed candidates. PORT AU PR 00000927 002.2 OF 002 ¶8. (SBU) The Commission's Staff Director said that elections were likely to be held 7 February 2010, with runoffs on March 23 and investiture on April 29 (all realized that this was a very tight timeline, especially in a Haitian context). He estimated the overall cost at USD 25 million, and said he understood that the Government of Haiti had USD 7 million allocated. Both Charge and the Canadian Ambassador stressed that donor support for elections would be dependent to a large extent on the credibility the CEP brings to the process. ¶6. (SBU) COMMENT: The consensus among international observers as well as opposition parties is that Preval will continue to have significant influence on the CEP. Both Dorsinvil and Toussaint are unlikely to assert themselves independently of the Executive. Preval's inclusion of the CASECS (who had regularly expressed their disappointment for being ignored by the President and had threatened to boycott the elections) and the voodoo sector further reinforces his access in rural areas. We believe most political parties are likely to participate in upcoming elections, despite boycott threats, but international community pressure will be vital to ensuring fair and inclusive elections. LINDWALL