Caribbean & Central America - 26 August 2003

* New OAS envoy to oversee Haitian elections: The Organization of American States (OAS) has appointed a Special Envoy to Promote Dialogue in Haiti. Ambassador Terence Todman will have the unenviable task of increasing dialogue between the government of President Jean-Bertrand Aristide, the opposition Convergence Démocratique and civil society. 

First up, Todman must establish a provisional electoral council (CEP) to pave the way for free and fair legislative elections for later this year. He will also need to persuade Aristide to establish a professional and independent police force. 

The OAS does not have a great track record in Haiti. It has sent myriad missions there since the disputed legislative elections of 2000, with little to show for its efforts. It is now over four months since it sent a team of high-level diplomats to the country to deliver an ultimatum to Aristide: establish a provisional electoral council within ten days or face the consequences. 

* New Turks and Caicos Chief Minister: Chief Minister Derek Taylor has stepped down after his government lost its majority in the Legislative Council only three months after it successfully retained power in general elections. The opposition Progressive National Party (PNP) won two by-elections earlier this month, giving the party eight seats in the 13-member Council. PNP leader Micheal Misick has been sworn in as the new Chief Minister. 

* Out with the guilder in with the dollar: From 1 January 2004 Suriname will change its currency unit from Surinamese guilder (SRG) to Surinamese dollar (SR$), with an exchange rate of 2.8/US$ instead of the current 2,800/US$. This is the latest in a series of moves aimed at restoring confidence in the currency and making it easier to use in common transactions.

Bermuda's Smith regains power, then resigns: Bermuda's governing Progressive Labour Party (PLP) clung on to power in uncomfortably tight general elections last month. Premier Jennifer Smith's centre-left PLP won 22 legislative seats to 14 returned by the opposition United Bermuda Party (UBP), but Smith stepped down in the wake of her poor personal performance. She managed to win her own St. George's North seat, a party stronghold, by just eight votes (423-415). PLP members chose Alex Scott, 63, former Works and Engineering Minister, to assume the premiership. 

* Full marks for Barbados: Barbados has received a glowing report from the rating agency Standard & Poor's. S&P retained Barbados's A-minus credit rating, praising the government's 'very good economic management'. It said that the tourism industry was rebounding strongly and the island had emerged largely unscathed from the branding of so-called 'uncooperative tax havens' by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development. The report praised the country's 'social cohesion' but cautioned that Barbados was 'too heavily dependent on tourism and the official financial sector', and therefore 'vulnerable' to any downturn in those two areas.