Last week in the Republic of Haiti, the world witnessed the second round of presidential elections which was for the most part less chaotic than the elections held in November 2010. The two vying political candidates include Mirlande Manigat, wife of former president Leslie Manigat, who leads The Assembly of Progressive National Democrats (RDNP), and Michel Martelly, the candidate for the Repons Peyizan Party.
The OAS-CARICOM Joint Electoral Observation Mission consisted of 201 observers who were deployed throughout Haiti, observed that the Election Day was generally peaceful although there were few incidents of violence. Similarly, although the voter turnout appeared to have been slightly higher that what was observed during the first round of elections, it however, did not meet the expectations raised by the high number of voter requests for information during the “Where to Vote?” campaign.
The final results of the elections are expected on April 16, and due to the low level of voter turnout, there may be a case for claiming that the winner of this second round is not the legitimate president. Only 23% of the population voted in the first round adding to the accusations of fraud. However, the Provisional Electoral Council (CEP) has described the voter turnout as large.
Further, the arrival of former President Jean-Bertrand Aristide, who has returned to Haiti after his seven years of exile in South Africa (2004-2011), has criticized the electoral process indicating that the exclusion of his party, Fanmi Lavalas from the electoral campaign represented the exclusion of the majority of the population.
Aristide’s sensational return to Haiti was expected to command international media attention, as well as universal support from the Haitian electorate, where there was always the belief that he was the legitimate president. However, this was not the case; the international media continue to be preoccupied with the events in Japan, in addition to the crises in the Middle East.
Moreover, the belief that Aristide is the legitimate president is not universal amongst Haitians and the two presidential candidates command their own support base. According to the head of the Provisional Electoral Council (CEP) Gaillot Dorsinvil, “in a democratic way the Haitian people fulfilled their obligation by voting massively and made their choice.”
Haiti continues to face immense social challenges emerging from the January 2010 earthquake that has displaced over 800,000 people, who are currently living in makeshift camps, coupled with the expected resurgence of the cholera epidemic during the rainy season. Therefore, the nation is at a critical juncture where leadership from the government is paramount. The international community is waiting for the establishment of a legitimate democracy so that they can work with the newly elected president to rebuild the country.
The relatively peaceful elections and the lack of tumultuousness due to Aristide’s return are positive indicators that Haitians are ready for positive change and no longer wish to be used as pawns in political warfare. Thus, after mid-April, when the final results from the election have been released, the world will know if there is indeed some hope for Haiti.
