On 6 January Haitian opposition figures such as Paul Dénis, a former justice minister, criticised remarks made by Luis Almagro, the Secretary General of the Organization of American States (OAS), in reference to the electoral process which President Jovenel Moïse has announced for this year.
Analysis:
Almagro yesterday tweeted that he had attended a “fruitful” meeting with Haiti’s foreign minister, Claude Joseph, regarding a “comprehensive electoral process in 2021”, which would result in the “peaceful transition of power the following year”. This followed remarks made by President Moïse in his 1 January state of the nation address that elections would take place this year, along with a referendum on the constitution. With legislative elections long overdue, and Moïse’s five-year term set to expire in 2022, the international community has repeatedly called for elections to take place. The opposition, however, is demanding that a transitional government oversee any electoral process, arguing that the deeply unpopular president lacks the legitimacy to preside over elections. Moïse has been ruling by decree for the past year, following the lapse of legislators’ terms after elections failed to take place in October 2019, and the opposition rejects his intention of holding a referendum on the constitution, which is illegal.
- Excerpts from a letter dated 2 January to Almagro and United Nations (UN) Secretary General António Guterres, from leading opposition groups including Organisation du peuple en lutte (OPL); Ayiti an aksyon (AAA); Fusion des sociaux-démocrates; Inité; and Secteur Democratique et Populaire, accuse the OAS and the UN of lending tacit support to President Moise and his contentious plans for the referendum on the constitution.
- In September 2020 Moïse appointed a provisional electoral council (CEP), but this proved controversial due to its representation and mandate, which included organising the referendum on a new constitution. Such was the controversy that the supreme court opted against swearing in the new CEP members, whom Moïse then installed regardless. In October 2020 he named an advisory committee to draw up a new constitution, which on 7 December 2020 said that the first draft would be ready on 26 February.
Looking Ahead: Demands for Moïse to step down and for a transitional government to take over featured in the repeated anti-government protests which took place last year. These look set to continue: speaking on national TV on 5 January, opposition leader André Michel said that the public would again be called upon to “defend the constitution”.