Media Center

Press Release

Joint OAS/CARICOM Mission in Haiti Calls upon Political Actors to Respect the Electoral Law during the Campaign

The Joint Electoral Observation Mission (JEOM) of the Organization of American States (OAS) and the Caribbean Community (CARICOM), with observers deployed in the 11 electoral departments of Haiti, has closely followed the beginning of the second phase of the electoral campaign, which started on October 15. During this second phase, qualified as the “active campaign,” the candidates are allowed to organize rallies, publish messages in the media and campaign openly.

The JEOM calls once again upon candidates and political parties to scrupulously observe the provisions of the Electoral Law governing the campaign and hopes that the latter will be able to unfold in an atmosphere of cordiality, tolerance and mutual respect.

At the moment when the electoral campaign is becoming more active, the JEOM remains sensitive to the concerns expressed by the candidates, electoral officials and civil society representatives about the security environment. Even though no major violent incidents have occurred, the JEOM’s observers have reported isolated incidents of intimidation, disruption of political meetings and verbal aggression. The Mission is concerned about allegations of weapons distribution, which heighten the feeling of insecurity during the campaign. In this regard, the JEOM appeals to the sense of responsibility of persons making these allegations publicly to file formal complaints with the relevant authorities.

The Mission welcomes the efforts undertaken at the departmental level by electoral authorities as well as the Haitian National Police (PNH) and MINUSTAH to organize meetings with political actors in order to prevent acts of violence. The Mission encourages candidates and political parties to fulfill their responsibilities to contribute to a peaceful electoral campaign.

Although there are disparities between the candidates in terms of financial resources, these differences should not be exacerbated by the use of State resources in the electoral campaign. The JEOM thus calls once again for the respect of the relevant provisions designed to guarantee the fairness of the electoral race.

Among its activities, the JEOM has closely followed the operations of the Verification Operation Centers (COV) in the camps for displaced persons located in the electoral departments West I and II aimed at updating the electoral list. The Mission also noted the transfer of data collected by the National Identification Office (ONI) to the Provisional Electoral Council (CEP) for the elaboration of the electoral register, which must be published on October 28.

The Mission continues to strengthen its field presence, which now comprises 45 international observers deployed throughout the country.

For more information, please visit the OAS Website at www.oas.org.

Reference: E-395/10