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OAS SECRETARY GENERAL HAILS DECISION TO DECLARE RENE PREVAL WINNER OF HAITI’S PRESIDENTIAL ELECTIONS

The final decision to declare René Préval the winner of Haiti’s February 7 presidential elections marks “a significant step towards building the country’s future on democracy,” Organization of American States (OAS) Secretary General José Miguel Insulza declared, speaking today from Haiti.

Haiti’s Provisional Electoral Council (CEP) decided by a 7 to 2 vote early Thursday morning to declare Préval the President of Haiti, after he garnered the majority of the votes in last week’s presidential elections. Insulza said “the Provisional Electoral Council has taken a decision, which we should all respect.”

The Secretary General declared, “this has been a historic election for Haiti, given the voter turn-out and the calm that prevailed on election day.” He said he was pleased with “this important move for the future of Haiti, which is of utmost importance.” He expressed the hope that the CEP decision would boost institutional strengthening in Haiti, and said he understands that “the new President will invite his political opponents to engage in dialogue, so that together they can change Haiti’s situation.”

Insulza arrived in Port-au-Prince Wednesday afternoon and held a series of meetings, including with United Nations Representative in Haiti Juan Gabriel Valdés and with leaders of the main organizations involved in the electoral process, to seek a post-election settlement, which was reached early Thursday morning with the CEP decision to declare Preval the winner. Concerning reports of irregularities in the elections, Insulza said “there was no fraud, the votes were properly counted, and despite some reports, there should be no talk about fraud and nobody can prove there were irregularities. Such reports will undoubtedly be put to rest.”

With respect to the election results and the international community’s support for this process, Insulza noted that “this should boost relations between Haiti and the Dominican Republic in their quest to find a joint solution to the issue of migration between the two countries.” Across the region as a whole, he continued, “fourteen elections have been scheduled between December 2005 and December 2006, and I hope they will all be conducted peacefully and strengthen our democracies.”

He went on to note that Haiti “is certainly a place in which a number of countries of the region have taken an interest and I hope they will continue to support the cause of Haitians.” He said “the international community should continue to support the Haitian process as an expression of commitment by Latin America and the Caribbean to support Haitians in their bid to strengthen their democracy.” It would be a mistake to withdraw, he said, because the majority of Haitians and the new government believe they need support from the international community and this effort must continue.

From Haiti, Insulza travels to Madrid to meet with Spanish Defense Minister José Bono, and to participate in a seminar on governance and democracy in Latin America.

Reference: E-029/06