[Congressional Record Volume 151, Number 138 (Wednesday, October 26, 2005)]
[Senate]
[Pages S11913-S11914]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                           ELECTIONS IN HAITI

  Mr. LEAHY. Mr. President, I rise to express my strong concern 
regarding the political and economic situation in Haiti and the effect 
this will have on the upcoming elections in that country. The events of 
the last few months in Haiti have been dispiriting for those who have 
long sought stability and progress in that country. Due to the 
precarious political and security situation in Haiti, the question must 
be raised; can free and fair elections be carried out in Haiti on 
schedule? Or should they be postponed until we can guarantee a more 
favorable environment for legitimate elect to take place?
  Nearly a year and a half has passed since President Aristide was 
removed from power and since then the country has continued to spiral 
downward into worsening poverty and political violence. The interim 
government of Prime Minister Gerard Latortue has failed to deliver 
stability and economic progress and for the fourth time this year, has 
postponed the date of the elections. Presently, elections are planned 
for December 15 and there is widespread concern that, if held, these 
elections will be anything but open, inclusive or fair.
  Currently, the political and social climate in Haiti is not conducive 
for credible elections to take place. The Haitian people are largely 
ignorant about the electoral system and detached from the process. Out 
of a total of 4.5 million eligible voters approximately 870,000 people 
have actually registered, with supporters of the Lavalas Party--a large 
portion of the electorate--threatening to boycott. According to 
reports, voter registration stations have been placed in less than 500 
locations in contrast with the 5,000 stations available under the 
Aristide administration.
  Citizens are disenchanted over the lack of jobs, miserable government 
services, and rampant violence. As the poorest country in the Western 
Hemisphere, four out of five Haitians live on less than $2 a day and 
nearly half of the children in the country are malnourished. In the 
last year, there have been almost 800 killings and criminal and 
political kidnappings by urban armed gangs have reached historic 
levels. Only recently, after a shaky start, the

[[Page S11914]]

United Nations Stabilization Mission, MINUSTAH, has been making modest 
progress in preventing even greater levels of violence. But the 
security situation in Haiti remains volatile.
  Equally as troubling is our own government's seeming indifference to 
the deteriorating situation in Haiti. Several weeks ago, Secretary of 
State Rice flew into Port-au-Prince for a 5 hour visit that amounted to 
little more than a photo op. The situation there is fragile and demands 
immediate action and will require a long-term international commitment.
  Haiti's capacity to hold credible elections needs to be given serious 
consideration by the interim government, Bush administration and United 
Nations. While the Haitian constitution grants a new administration to 
be sworn in to office by February 7, 2006, the stakes are too great to 
push forward an election simply to adhere to an arbitrary date. If the 
consensus is that political and social conditions could be improved in 
the next 3 to 6 months, and there are serious problems that threaten 
the legitimacy of this election, we owe it to the people of Haiti to 
take the time necessary to work to address these problems so that the 
election is as fair as possible.
  The next few weeks present a seminal period for the Haitian people 
and the future of Haiti. Enormous logistical, political, and security 
obstacles need to be overcome if Haiti is to have elections with any 
semblance of credibility. There are very few options left for a country 
that is already teetering on the brink of state failure and cannot 
afford to lose much more. We must keep the best interests of the 
Haitian people in mind and do everything in our power to create the 
conditions necessary for Haiti to take the next step in transitioning 
toward democratic stability.

                          ____________________