OCID press release – The Citizen Observatory for the Institutionalization of Democracy (OCID) welcomes the progress made with a view to resolving the electoral crisis, in particular through decisions taken or announced in this direction by some politicians and protagonists. It takes note of the diagnosis made by the Independent Commission for Electoral Evaluation and Verification (CIEVE) on the 2015 elections and the recommendations contained in its report, followed by the publication by the Provisional Electoral Council of the new electoral calendar.
Beyond the limits or weaknesses indexed by certain actors in the work of the Commission, OCID considers that by recommending the resumption of the presidential election, this report creates a frank opportunity for the political authorities and the heads of the institution election, to seriously initiate the reform of the Haitian electoral system.
Key observations on the CIEVE report
OCID welcomes the inclusion, in the CIEVE report, of several of the observations and recommendations made in its advocacy argument for the reform of the Haitian electoral system submitted to the CEP last April. The Observatory shares the committee’s opinion on the need to recruit temporary staff members on a basis of competence and far from any political affiliation, to better regulate the documentary surveillance chain (from the Polling Office to the Tabulation Center) , to regularly update the general electoral list, to recruit in all transparency the lawyer verifiers to the CTV, to limit the room for maneuver of the agents and observers at the BV level and to better regulate the process of issuing mandates to political parties.
The Observatory welcomes the fact by the commission of highlighting the problem of the non-updating of the general electoral list which, on the one hand, limits access to the right to vote of certain citizens, and on the other hand , opens the way to fraudulent maneuvers such as trafficking in National Identification Cards and ballot box stuffing.
Beyond the considerations linked to the economic situation, the inventory drawn up in the CIEVE report is part of the more structural problematic of the weakness of sovereign institutions, the culture of the informal and the secular reign of the impunity in the country. Because, it is quite simply unacceptable that a state, in the middle of the 21st century, cannot properly identify all its nationals and keep the database of potential voters up to date. It is also regrettable to waste millions of dollars of the public treasury and of international cooperation on electoral operations whose results are not acceptable for a large majority of sectors of national life, because of the incompetence of some and the deceit of others.
The OCID expresses the wish that the next games will no longer reflect the defects of Haitian political culture. He dares to hope that the actors will show a spirit of going beyond in order to present a better image of the country on the international scene. The observatory calls on decision-makers and all political and civil society actors to do their best to ensure that the resumption of the presidential election is a success and guarantees the political stability that the suffering population so badly needs.
About the monitoring undertaken by the CEP
The OCID welcomes the announcements made by the members of the Electoral Council following the publication of the CIEVE report concerning certain measures envisaged to improve the holding of the next elections, which notably affect the recruitment of BV members, the issuance of mandates to parties policies, monitoring the behavior of agents and observers, etc.
The Observatory encourages CEP members to work with the greatest transparency and to always seek the broadest possible consensus among political actors on all strategic decisions. The credibility of the electoral process is at stake, including its fundamental democratic character.
On the imminence of June 14
OCID invites the public authorities and the political class to work together to find a solution that favors the continuation, in accordance with the published timetable, of the electoral process and the return to constitutional order. This electoral crisis has gone on long enough.
The Citizen Observatory for the Institutionalization of Democracy (OCID), a civil society consortium formed by the Civil Society Initiative, the Ecumenical Center for Human Rights and JURIMEDIA, renews its commitment to work for the consolidation of democracy in Haiti and, in particular, the establishment of an electoral system guaranteeing Haitian citizens to be able to freely and democratically choose their leaders.
“A lasting democracy through citizen vigilance”
Members of the Steering Committee
Sylvie BAJEUX, for the Ecumenical Center for Human Rights (CEDH)
Abdonel DOUDOU
Rosny DESROCHE, for the Civil Society Initiative (ISC)
