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Weekly Report - 14 April 2016 (WR-16-14)

HAITI: Election date up in the air

“We should give Haitians the time to organise elections in the best way possible”. This remark by Luis Almagro, the secretary general of the Organization of American States (OAS), is a sign that the international community is changing tack vis-à-vis its previous insistence on Haiti’s delayed presidential and partial legislative run-off elections (scheduled for 24 April) taking place as soon as possible. Léopold Berlanger, the head of Haiti’s new provisional electoral council (CEP), which was installed on 30 March, was clear that the date – agreed under the 5 February accord inked by former president Michel Martelly (2011-2016) and the heads of congress ahead of Martelly’s departure on 7 February – would not be met. The major bone of contention is whether to set up a verification commission given the mass allegations of fraud marring the 25 October first-round elections. The move has hitherto been opposed by the international community and continues to be rejected by Martelly’s Parti Haïtien Têt Kalé [PHTK], whose presidential candidate, Jovenel Moïse, won the first round.

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