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Last Updated: Dec 29, 2011 - 2:18:31 AM |
The
period of complaints with regard to the preliminary results of the
first round of the legislative and presidential elections in Haiti came
to an end on Wednesday 15 December, four days later than planned on the
electoral calendar because of the unrest that followed the publication
of the preliminary results.
The urgent and exceptional mechanism
initiated by the CEP on 9 December to verify the tabulation of the
preliminary results, the Special Verification Commission, did not get
off the ground. The CEP informed the Joint Mission by letter dated 14
December that “it found itself obliged to place a hold on its intention
to establish the Commission in order to avoid any possible duplication
between the mandate of the Commission and that of the mission ordered by
the Head of State”.
With regard to the period of contestation,
the OAS-CARICOM Joint Electoral Observation Mission (JEOM) notes that
the number of complaints submitted by candidates varies from Department
to Department, with the majority of them being submitted as expected by
the legislative candidates at the level of the Lower House. The Mission
notes that a large number of candidates have taken advantage of the
legal recourses provided by the Electoral Law during this contestation
phase. Several of the complaints submitted by presidential and
legislative candidates call for the cancellation of the electoral
process on the grounds of the irregularities and the instances of
violence and fraud that marred the first round of the elections and
which disenfranchised a large number of prospective voters.
The
JEOM reiterates its call to the CEP that in carrying out its
jurisdictional functions it must ensure that these claims, complaints
and challenges at the BCED and BCEN auditions are treated with the
transparency, thoroughness and fairness that they deserve. The auditions
permit candidates to obtain redress when they provide proof that they
have been the victim of irregularities or fraud. Despite the delays
affecting the start of the audition period, the CEP must take its time
to ensure that the due process procedures are carried out thoroughly.
These
auditions are of critical importance as their outcome leads to the
proclamation of the final results of the first round of the legislative
and presidential elections. This was initially scheduled to take place
on 20 December but will most probably have to be delayed. The Mission
hopes that the prevailing period of calm will provide an enabling
environment for serene and meticulous deliberations and for equitable
decisions by the respective BCEDs and the BCEN.
For more information, please visit the OAS Website at www.oas.org.
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