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OAS RENEWS CALL FOR HAITI ELECTION DATE OF FEBRUARY 7 TO BE OBSERVED

The Organization of American States’ (OAS) Assistant Secretary General, Albert R. Ramdin, has renewed the call by the international community for the country’s February 7 first-round elections to be held on schedule. He participated in a high-level international mission to Haiti along with several senior representatives of the “Core Group” of countries and Juan Gabriel Valdes, the representative of the UN Secretary General.

In meetings with the authorities, presidential candidates, civil society and other groups, the mission also discussed the security situation in the country as well as the post-election environment that needs to include efforts to respect the outcome of the elections. The mission called on the Haitian presidential candidates to publicly denounce all forms of violence in the run-up to elections as well as during and after, and to promote an environment of peace and unity. The candidates were also urged to call on the voters to exercise their voting rights on Election Day so as to ensure a high turn out.

During their meetings, the mission also stressed the need for national dialogue and reconciliation, inclusiveness and unity, as well as a short- to medium-term social and economic reconstruction program to alleviate poverty and social problems, in addition to the start up of job creation and strengthening the state apparatus, including the police force.

Besides Ambassador Ramdin, US Undersecretary of State for Latin American and the Caribbean Thomas Shannon and representatives of Canada, France, Brazil, Argentina, Chile, Peru, Guatemala, Ecuador and Uruguay participated in the meetings. They were joined by Juan Gabriel Valdés of the United Nations Stabilization Mission in Haiti (MINUSTAH) and representatives of the Core Group in Port-au-Prince.

The delegation met with President Boniface Alexandre and Prime Minster Gérard Latortue. Ambassador Ramdin met as well with Haiti’s Provisional Electoral Council (CEP) Director General Jacques Bernard. Ambassador Ramdin expressed satisfaction with the role of the OAS in the preparation for the February 7 election, first in registering more than 3.5 million Haitian voters and currently having distributed almost 80% of the national identification cards.

Ramdin had gone to Haiti accompanied by the Core Group representatives to reassure that country’s authorities and people of “the ongoing commitment of the international community to the democratic and electoral process in their country as well as to make an assessment of the political situation on the ground.”

He will report to the OAS Permanent Council’s regular session on January 24, on this latest Haiti visit.

Reference: E-007/06