US Concerned About Political Developments in Haiti
WASHINGTON, D.C. – The United States has expressed reservations about Haiti holding elections in a timely manner and urged all stakeholders in the French-speaking Caribbean Community (CARICOM) country to put aside their differences to ensure the future socio-economic development of the country.
“Most of us are familiar with the proverb, “Many hands make light work.” As we consider how Haiti’s splintered political environment has paralyzed the country and threatened the well-being of average citizens, these words seem apt. A shared effort is urgently required,” said Julie J. Chung, the Assistant Secretary of the Office of Western Hemisphere Affairs in a recorded video on United States electoral engagement in Haiti, the American perspective on a democratic and prosperous Haiti and an appeal to stakeholders in the Haitian diaspora Julie J. Chung, State Department.
“Political and civil society leaders must bridge their divisions to accomplish the higher goal of restoring democracy and stability. The more Haitian leaders from diverse sectors of society participate, the easier this task will be,” she said in the message that coincided with Haitian Heritage Month and the 218th anniversary of the creation of the Flag of Haiti on Tuesday.
Chung said every few years, the world anxiously waits to see whether Haiti can overcome its internal divisions to schedule, organize and hold timely elections that lead to a transition of power between one democratically-elected leader and another democratically-elected leader.
“It should not be this way. In a representative democracy, the people, the people, possess the right to select the leaders who will legislate and govern on their behalf.”
She said that this proposition only works if the people can do so on a regularly recurring basis.
“In this way, electoral democracy forms the foundation of a stable and prosperous state. Countries around the world, and countries throughout Latin America and the Caribbean – countries dealing with security and infrastructure challenges – regularly succeed in doing this despite the problems they face.
“Countries with serious political divisions overcome their differences to do this and Haiti can also. Haiti’s history makes it a beacon of freedom and its democracy should not be an exception; it should be an example,” the US official said.
She said that legislative elections that should have been held in 2019 are long overdue, asking what has been the result of this delay.
“An unchecked executive power since January 2020, as the lower house no longer exists, and there are too few Senators to reach a quorum. There is no separation of powers and no way for the branches of government to hold one another accountable. This situation calls into question the core precepts of Haiti’s democracy.
“More than that, this period of one-man rule by decree has already led to the announcement of a problematic national intelligence agency, the introduction of dubious definitions of terrorism, the reduced role of key institutions like the Superior Court of Auditors and Administrative Disputes, and the removal and replacement of three Supreme Court judges.”
The US official said that the decision to hold a referendum to amend the constitution of 1987 further adds to the controversy, especially without an inclusive and credible consultative process that fully incorporates civil society.
“Likeminded international partners have joined local voices in expressing these concerns. BINUH tweeted on April 13 that the constitutional consultation process was “not sufficiently inclusive, participatory, or transparent” and called for the Consultative Committee to engage with a wider range of political and societal actors, including women’s and religious groups, across the country.
“An April 26 Core Group statement by the Ambassadors to Haiti from Germany, Brazil, Canada, Spain, the United States, France, the European Union, the Special Representative of the Organization of American States, and the Special Representative of the Secretary General of the United Nations all echoed BINUH’s assessment of the consultative process. Haiti’s democracy cannot continue like this.”
Chung said Washington believes legislative elections are the democratic way to end Haiti’s prolonged rule by decree, and presidential elections are necessary to transfer power peacefully from one democratically-elected leader to another.
“Anyone who follows developments in Haiti can see that there are challenges,” she said, noting that she had personally observed these challenges during her visit to Haiti in 2019, where she urged President Jovenel Moise “to build a government that could tackle issues such as insecurity, corruption, and a lagging economy.
“Haiti needs a government with functioning legislative, executive, and judicial branches working to move Haiti forward. This is why we call upon all of Haiti’s political stakeholders to come together and agree upon the necessary mechanisms to hold free and fair elections in 2021 that are credible and reflect the will of the Haitian people.
“There are many voices who disagree that the way to fully restore Haiti’s democracy is through free and fair elections, who assert Haiti needs a transitional government to put it back on the democratic path. This may be a tempting notion. But who would those people be? How would they be chosen? To which constituents would they be accountable? As an extra constitutional governing body, which law would determine their mandate? Would a transitional government prevent further chaos? Would it restore timeliness to Haiti’s electoral calendar?”
Chung warned that “we have seen this before, and learned there are no shortcuts when building a resilient and lasting democracy”.
She said that the needs of the Haitian people are far too pressing for elections to be delayed further. “You do not hold elections when it’s convenient; you hold them when they are due. In the United States, even during the most divisive and contentious junctures in our history – economic downturns, protests, natural disasters, a bloody civil war – elections were consistently held so that our republic could continue to progress.
“The United States and Haiti are the oldest republics in the Western Hemisphere. Haiti is one of our nation’s oldest friends. We share over two billion US dollars in annual trade. Remittances to Haiti, the majority of which come from the US, are equivalent to a third of Haiti’s GDP. The mutual influence of American and Haitian customs and achievements are evident, and fewer than a thousand miles separate our borders.”
She said one major commonality between the people in the United States and Haiti is “our devotion to the idea of freedom.
“Citizens in both countries look back with pride at our forebearers who valued freedom above all else and risked everything to secure this inalienable right. Haitians and Americans fought and died for freedom and set out to design new visions for our respective republics that had never been achieved before.
“Centuries later, the Haitian people are still fighting to see a free Haiti – a Haiti that is free from corruption, free from lawlessness, free from kidnappings, free from poverty, and free from unilateral governance.”
Last week, the Permanent Council of the Organization of American States (OAS) moved closer to sending a mission to Haiti agreeing greed to hold further talks with other stakeholders “as to how we will set up that mission to Haiti and that this certainly be considered at the next regular session of the Permanent Council.
The United States Interim Permanent Representative, Bradley A Freden, said Washington would be prepared to provide funding for the mission saying his country “welcomes the government of Haiti’s invitation for an OAS delegation which we hope will encourage a constructive political dialogue among all stake holders to pave the way for legislative and presidential elections in 2021.
The Haitian government has already indicated that the referendum will be held on June 27 and the legislative and presidential elections on September 19 with November 21 set aside for a second ballot.
