2015–16 Haitian parliamentary election

Last updated

2015–2016 Haitian parliamentary election
Flag of Haiti.svg
  2010–2011 9 August 2015 (first round)
25 October 2015 (second round)
20 November 2016 (second round)
Next  

Parliamentary elections were held in Haiti on 9 August 2015, with a second round initially planned for 25 October. [1] [2] Two-thirds of the Senate and all members of the Chamber of Deputies were up for election. International observers reported that early rounds of voting have experienced significant fraud, including people voting more than once due to failure of indelible ink, vote buying due to lack of secrecy, poor training of election workers, poor tracking of political parties, and other problems. [3] This has resulted in the nullification of some results and rescheduling of re-runs. The second round of the parliamentary elections that had been scheduled for October 2015 was postponed to October 2016, along with the first round for a third of the Senate and the first round of a new presidential election. [4]

Contents

The United States withdrew funding for the October 2016 round, though it financially supported previous rounds and observers from the Organization of American States. [5] The second round was scheduled for 9 October 2016 but was postponed to 20 November due to Hurricane Matthew. It was held together with local elections and the first round of the presidential election. [1] [2]

Electoral system

Members of the Chamber of Deputies are elected in single-member constituencies using the two-round system; a second round being held if no candidate in a constituency wins a majority of the vote in the first round. [6] In March 2015 an electoral decree increased the number of members in the new Chamber of Deputies from 99 to 118, with the Senate retaining the 30 members. [7] On 13 March, President Martelly issued a decree that split the Cerca La Source in two constituencies, and therefore increasing the number of deputies to 119. [8]

One-third of the 30-member Senate is elected every two years, also using the two-round system. [9] However, the previous Senate elections, which had been scheduled for May 2012, were not held, meaning two-thirds of the seats were up for elections in 2015. [10]

The Haitian election calendar was as follows:

DateElection
9 August 2015First round of parliamentary election (cancelled in 22 constituencies)
First round of Senate two-thirds election
25 October 2015Second round of parliamentary election (constituencies that hadn't cancelled the 9 August election)
First round of parliamentary election (22 constituencies that cancelled the 9 August election)
Second round of Senate two-thirds election
24 April 2016 (cancelled) [11] Second round of presidential election
Second round of parliamentary election (22 constituencies that cancelled the 9 August election and 2 that will have to repeat the October second round)
First round of Senate one-third election [12] [13]
9 October 2016 (postponed due to Hurricane Matthew) [14]
20 November 2016 [15]

Campaign

A total of 2,037 candidates registered to contest the elections, representing 98 different political parties. A total of 522 candidates were disqualified in a first instance, leaving 186 candidates for the Senate and 1,329 for the Chamber of Deputies. The Provisional Electoral Council updated the list of candidates on 26 June, with the addition of 47 candidates for the Senate and 294 for the Chamber of Deputies that had been previously rejected, making a grand total of 233 candidates for senator and 1,624 for deputy. [16] [17]

The number of candidates among the principal parties are shown here:

PartyCandidates
SenatorsDeputiesTotal
Plateforme Vérité (Vérité)15100115
Haitian Tèt Kale Party (Parti Haïtien Tèt Kale)1199110
Fanmi Lavalas 168399
Platfom Pitit Desalin 148599
Fusion of Haitian Social Democrats 118596
Renmen Ayiti 157994
Struggling People's Organization 108393
Convention for Democratic Unity 127385
Pont 35255
Patriotic Unity (Inite Patriyotik)83947
Respect (Respé)63642
Haiti in Action 43640
PPG18 23133
Patriotic Movement of the Democratic Opposition (MOPOD)52328
Peasant Platform Platfòm Peyizan22325
Christian Movement for a New Haiti 31922
Other parties96677774
Total2331,6231,857
Sources:

On September 8, 2015, candidates of the Verité party withdrew from the elections. [18]

Results

2015 results

According to the preliminary results given by the Electoral Committee, there were 1,046,516 valid votes for an electorate of 5,871,450, which represents a 17.82% turnout. [19] The elections were cancelled in 22 constituencies, and therefore there were no results for those districts. [20]

On September 28 the Electoral Committee released definitive results, and declared elected one senator from AAA (Haiti in Action) and one from LIDE (Ligue Dessalines). For the deputies' election, 8 deputies were elected: 4 candidates from PHTK (Haitian Tèt Kale Party), 2 from AAA (Haiti in Action), 1 from VERITE (Truth) and 1 from INITE PATRIYOTIK (Patriotic Unity). [21] The second round of the legislative election took place on October 25, along with the first round of the presidential election and the first round of the legislative election on the constituencies where the August election were cancelled. [22]

The results of October 25 second round for the Senate says that were elected 3 candidates from KID, 3 from Verité, 2 from PHTK, and Fanmi Lavalas, PONT, OPL and Pettit Dessalines each had one. [23] 82 deputies were elected in the second round. [24] Eight more had already won in the first round on 9 August. The second round at the districts where the election was repeated should take place on 27 December, but on 21 December the Electoral Committee announced that the elections were postponed indefinitely. [25]

2016 results

According to Reuters, one of the elected Senators, Guy Philippe, participated in the overthrow of Jean-Bertrand Aristide and is wanted by the DEA for "conspiracy to import cocaine and launder monetary instruments". He campaigned with President-Elect Jovenel Moïse. [26]

The total of deputies and senators elected until December 2016 is stated below. The table lists in separate columns the number of deputies elected in the second rounds made in 2015 and 2016, because some of the run-offs were delayed along with the presidential run-off.

Chamber of Deputies

Haitian Chamber of Deputies election, 2015.svg
PartySeats
First
round
Second
round
(2015)
Second
round
(2016)
Total
Haitian Tèt Kale Party 422531
Plateforme Vérité 112417
Struggling People's Organization 0729
Konvansyon Inite Demokratik 0718
Fanmi Lavalas 0628
Haiti in Action 2406
Reseau National Bouclier 0325
Patriotic Unity 1304
Fusion of Haitian Social Democrats 0314
Renmen Ayiti 0213
Alternative League for Haitian Progress and Emancipation 0303
Tet Kole sous Chimen Devlopman pou un Nord'Ouest uni et Renonve 0202
Consortium des Partis Politiques 0202
Platfòm Pitit Desalin 0112
Ansanm Patriyot pou Lavni Ayiti 0022
Pont 0101
Parti pour la Libération des Masses et d'Intégration Sociale 0101
Konbit Travaye Peyizan pou Libere Ayiti 0101
Mouvement National Haïtien 0101
Konsyans Patriotik 0101
Federalist Party 0101
Socialist Action Movement 0101
Konbit Nasyonal 0011
Platfòm Leve Kanpe 0011
CANAAN 0011
Vacant3
Total88424119
Source: Haiti Libre, Haiti Libre, Haiti Libre, Haiti Libre

Senate

PartySeats
First
round
Second
round
(2015)
Second
round
(2016)
Total
Haitian Tèt Kale Party 0235
Plateforme Vérité 0303
Konvansyon Inite Demokratik 0303
Struggling People's Organization 0101
Fanmi Lavalas 0101
Haiti in Action 1001
Reseau National Bouclier 0011
Patriotic Unity 0011
Consortium des Partis Politiques 0011
Pont 0101
Platfòm Pitit Desalin 0101
Ligue Dessalinienne 1001
Total212620
Source: Haiti Libre, Haiti Libre, Haiti Libre, Haiti Libre

List of elected senators

NamePartyDepartment
Antonio Chéramy VÉRITÉ Ouest
Carl Murat Cantave KID Artibonite
Denis Cadeau BOUCLIER Nippes
Dieudonné Luma Étienne PHTK Nord
Dieupie Chérubin KID Sud-Est
Evallière Beauplan PONT Nord-Ouest
Francenet Denis VÉRITÉ Nippes
Garcia Delva AAA Aribonite
Guy Philippe CONSORTIUM Grand'Anse
Jacques Sauveur Jean PHTK Nord-Est
Jean-Marie Junior Salomon OPL Sud
Jean Marie Ralph Féthière PHTK Nord
Jean Renel Sénatus LIDE Ouest
Jean Rigaud Bélizaire CONSORTIUM Grand'Anse
Joseph Lambert KONA Sud-Est
Kedlaire Augustin PHTK Nord-Ouest
Nawoon Marcellus BOUCLIER Nord
Nenel Cassy FL Nippes
Onondieu Louis KID Nord-Ouest
Pierre François Sildor PHTK Sud
Pierre Paul Patrice Dumont RPH Ouest
Ricardo Pierre PITIT DESALIN Sud-Est
Richard Lénine Hervé Fourcand PHTK Sud
Ronald Larèche VÉRITÉ Nord-Est
Rony Célestin PHTK Centre
Sorel Jacinthe INITE Grand'Anse
Wanique Pierre PHTK Nord-Est
Wilfrid Gélin PHTK Centre
Willot Joseph PHTK Centre
Youri Laturtue AAA Artibonite
Source: CEP

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Elections in Romania</span>

Romania elects on a national level a head of state – the president – and a legislature. The president is elected for a five-year term by the people. The Romanian Parliament has two chambers. The Chamber of Deputies has currently 330 members, elected for a four-year term by party-list proportional representation on closed lists. The Senate has currently 136 members, elected for a four-year term by party-list proportional representation on closed lists.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Elections in Rwanda</span> Political elections for public offices in Rwanda

Elections in Rwanda are manipulated in various ways, which include banning opposition parties, arresting or assassinating critics, and electoral fraud. According to its constitution, Rwanda is a multi-party democracy with a presidential system. In practice, it functions as a one-party state ruled by the Rwandan Patriotic Front and its leader Paul Kagame. The President and majority of members of the Chamber of Deputies are directly elected, whilst the Senate is indirectly elected and partly appointed.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chamber of Deputies (Haiti)</span> Lower house of the legislature of Haiti

The Chamber of Deputies is the lower house of Haiti's bicameral legislature, the Haitian Parliament. The upper house of the Haitian Parliament is the Senate of Haiti. The Chamber has 119 members who are elected by popular vote to four-year terms. There are no term limits for Deputies; they may be re-elected indefinitely.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1999 Uruguayan general election</span>

General elections were held in Uruguay on 31 October 1999, alongside a double referendum, with a second round of the presidential election on 28 November. The elections were the first in Uruguay since World War I that were not dominated by the Colorado Party and the National Party. The Broad Front had begun gaining popularity in 1994, and had become a key player in Uruguayan politics by 1999.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2014 Uruguayan general election</span>

General elections were held in Uruguay on 26 October 2014, alongside a constitutional referendum. As no presidential candidate received an absolute majority in the first round of voting, a runoff took place on 30 November. Primary elections to determine each party's presidential candidate had been held on 1 June.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2016 Dominican Republic general election</span> Election in the Dominican Republic

General elections were held in Dominican Republic on 15 May 2016 to elect a president, vice-president and the Congress, as well as 20 deputies to the Central American Parliament, municipal councils, mayors and vice mayors. On 15 May 2015 Roberto Rosario, president of the Central Electoral Board, said that there would be about 4,300 seats up for election in the "most complex elections in history".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2015 Haitian presidential election</span>

Presidential elections were held in Haiti on 25 October 2015, alongside local elections and the second round of the legislative elections. Incumbent President Michel Martelly was constitutionally barred from running. As no candidate received a majority of the vote in the first round, a runoff was to be held on 27 December 2015. On 22 December the Conseil Electoral Provisoire (CEP) announced that the runoff has been postponed indefinitely. However, on 1 January 2016 President Michel Martelly announced that the runoff would be held on 17 January, but on 7 January the President changed the date to 24 January. On 20 January, Jude Célestin issued a statement that calls "whatever the person who will participate in this January 24 [runoff], is a traitor to the Nation". Because of rioting and electoral violence, on 22 January the CEP decided to postpone the second round again, with no specific date given, even after President Michel Martelly confirmed the previous day in a nationwide speech that the election should still take place. The run-off date was later agreed to take place on 24 April 2016.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Inite</span> Political party in Haiti

Patriotic Unity, is a political party in Haiti founded on 28 November 2009. Its dissolution had been claimed by former leading members on 30 April 2019 but was then disputed by the current leadership. Its founder and leader was René Préval, who served as President of Haiti from 2006 to 2011.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Haitian Tèt Kale Party</span> Political party in Haiti

The Haitian Tèt Kale Party is a Haitian political party. Tèt Kale means "Bald Headed" in Haitian Creole, and is a reference to former president Michel Martelly's appearance.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jovenel Moïse</span> President of Haiti from 2017 to 2021

Jovenel Moïse was a Haitian entrepreneur and politician, who served as the 43rd President of Haiti from 2017 until his assassination in 2021. He assumed the presidency in February 2017 after winning the November 2016 election. In 2019, Haiti experienced widespread protests and unrest. In the early morning of 7 July 2021, Moïse was assassinated, and his wife Martine was injured during an attack on their private residence in Pétion-Ville. Claude Joseph assumed the role of acting president in the aftermath of Moïse's assassination.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Alternative League for Haitian Progress and Emancipation</span> Political party in Haiti

Alternative League for Haitian Progress and Emancipation is a Haitian political party. The party is led by Jude Célestin, and held three seats in the Chamber of Deputies after the 2015 election, while holding no seats in the Senate, although both houses of Haitian parliament have been vacant since January 10, 2023. The party abbreviation, LAPEH, is pronounced like the Haitian Creole word "lapé", meaning "peace", from French "la paix".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">November 2016 Haitian presidential election</span>

Presidential elections were held in Haiti on 20 November 2016 after having been postponed several times. The elections were overseen by the Provisional Electoral Council (CEP), and were held using the two-round system, with a second round scheduled for 29 January 2017 if no candidate received an absolute majority of the votes in the first round. However, on 27 November election officials announced that, according to preliminary results, Jovenel Moïse had won the election in the first round with more than 50% of the vote. Voter turnout, in the election held 6 weeks after Hurricane Matthew hit Haiti, was reported to be 21%. Jovenel Moïse assumed office on 7 February 2017, and was assassinated on 7 July 2021.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2016–17 Haitian Senate election</span>

Senate elections were held in Haiti with a first round on 20 November 2016, and a second on 29 January 2017. The first round were held simultaneously with the presidential elections and the second round of the parliamentary elections that still had a run-off pending in some constituencies since 2015.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2017 Liberian general election</span>

General elections were held in Liberia on 10 October 2017 to elect the President and House of Representatives. No candidate won a majority in the first round of the presidential vote, so the top two finishers – CDC standard-bearer Amb. George Weah and UP standard-bearer Vice President Joseph Boakai – competed in a run-off on 26 December. The second round was originally scheduled for 7 November, but was postponed after LP standard-bearer Cllr. Charles Brumskine, in third place, challenged the result in the Supreme Court. The Supreme Court dismissed the challenge, which would have forced a re-run of the first round had it been successful, and the second round was held on 26 December. Weah emerged victorious with 60% of the vote.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2019 Nigerian general election</span>

General elections were held in Nigeria on 23 February 2019 to elect the President, Vice President, House of Representatives and the Senate. The elections had initially been scheduled for 16 February, but the Electoral Commission postponed the vote by a week at 03:00 on the original polling day, citing logistical challenges in getting electoral materials to polling stations on time. In some places, the vote was delayed until 24 February due to electoral violence. Polling in some areas was subsequently delayed until 9 March, when voting was carried out alongside gubernatorial and state assembly elections.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2018 Paraguayan general election</span>

General elections were held in Paraguay on 22 April 2018. President Horacio Cartes and Vice-President Juan Afara of the Colorado Party were not eligible for re-election. The presidential elections were won by the Colorado Party's Mario Abdo Benítez, who defeated Efraín Alegre of the GANAR alliance. The Colorado Party also won the most seats in the Senate and Chamber of Deputies. The new President and Vice-President took office on 15 August 2018 and will leave office in August 2023.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2019 Argentine general election</span>

General elections were held in Argentina on 27 October 2019, to elect the president of Argentina, members of the national congress and the governors of most provinces.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2020 Dominican Republic general election</span> General election held in the Dominican Republic

General elections were held in the Dominican Republic on 5 July 2020 to elect a president, vice-president, 32 senators and 190 deputies. They had originally been planned for 17 May, but were postponed due to the coronavirus pandemic. They are the second elections since 1994 in which all positions will be elected simultaneously, and the first in Dominican history in which all authorities will be elected simultaneously and directly.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Next Haitian general election</span>

General elections were planned to take place in Haiti sometime in 2023, though they did not take place. The parliamentary elections had originally been scheduled for 27 October 2019, but were postponed to 26 September 2021. The elections were then postponed again to 7 November 2021. General elections were scheduled to be held in Haiti on 7 November 2021 to elect the president and Parliament, alongside a constitutional referendum. However, in September 2021, they were postponed following the dismissal of the members of the Provisional Electoral Council by acting Prime Minister Ariel Henry. Prime Minister Henry later stated that he hoped to hold the elections in early 2022. On 8 February 2022, he called for renewed efforts to organize elections. In December 2022, he signed an agreement to hold the elections in 2023, but stated in February 2024 that they will be held once the security situation was under control. Henry later committed to hold the elections by August 2025, but announced in March 2024 that he would resign to make way for a temporary presidential council.

Plateforme Vérité was a Haitian political party co-founded by former president René Préval. After the 2015-16 legislative elections, Vérité emerged as the second largest party behind only the PHTK, winning 17 seats in the Chamber of Deputies and three in the Senate.

References

  1. 1 2 "Haiti first-round parliamentary elections held despite ′incidents′". Deutsche Welle. 10 August 2015. Retrieved 16 August 2015.
  2. 1 2 "Calendrier électoral" (in French). Provisional Electoral Council. Archived from the original on 13 August 2015. Retrieved 16 August 2015.
  3. Charles, Jacqueline (2016-08-02). "OAS will observe Haiti's elections but wants changes ahead of vote". Miami Herald . Retrieved 14 December 2016.
  4. "Haiti – FLASH : Presidential Elections on October 9 – HaitiLibre.com : Haiti news 7/7" . Retrieved 14 December 2016.
  5. Charles, Jacqueline (2016-07-18). "Will a Haiti election without U.S. dollars undermine the vote?". Miami Herald . Retrieved 14 December 2016.
  6. Electoral system IPU
  7. "Haiti – Elections : Electoral Decree adopted, 19 more Deputies..." Haiti Libre. 2015-03-03. Retrieved 14 December 2016.
  8. "IPU PARLINE database: HAITI (Chambre des Députés), Last elections" . Retrieved 14 December 2016.
  9. Electoral system IPU
  10. "Haiti sets date for long overdue elections". BBC. 13 March 2015. Retrieved 16 August 2015.
  11. "Haitian Prime Minister Resigns after Agreement on Governance". Prensa Latina News Agency. Archived from the original on 2016-02-03. Retrieved 2016-02-03.
  12. "Haiti – FLASH : Deputies – Final results of the 2nd round of October 25, 2015". Haiti Libre. 19 December 2015. Retrieved 1 January 2016.
  13. "Haiti – FLASH : Elections of January 24 are canceled !". HaitiLibre. 22 January 2016. Retrieved 22 January 2016.
  14. "Haiti – FLASH : The elections of October 9 postponed". Haiti Libre. 5 October 2016. Retrieved 6 October 2016.
  15. "Haïti: nouvelles dates pour les élections". Le Figaro . Agence-France Presse. 14 October 2016. Retrieved 14 December 2016.
  16. "CEP Releases Final List of Candidates for Legislative Elections". Haiti Relief and Reconstruction Watch. 19 May 2015. Archived from the original on 2015-05-29.
  17. "Haiti – FLASH: Final list of approved candidates". Haiti Libre. 15 May 2015.
  18. "Haiti – FLASH : The platform VERITE withdraws from elections". Haiti-Libre. September 9, 2015. Retrieved October 24, 2015.
  19. "Haiti – News : Electoral Zapping..." Haiti-Libre. August 22, 2015. Retrieved August 28, 2015.
  20. "Haiti – FLASH : Complete results of the elections of August 9, 2015". HaitiLibre. August 21, 2015. Retrieved August 22, 2015.
  21. "Haiti – FLASH : Final results of the 1st round of legislative elections of August 9, 2015". Haiti-Libre. 28 September 2015. Retrieved 14 October 2015.
  22. "Haiti – Elections : Official Changes in the electoral timetable". Haiti-Libre. 2 October 2015. Retrieved 14 October 2015.
  23. "Haiti – FLASH : Results of the senatorial elections of October 25, 2015". Haiti-Libre. 8 November 2015. Retrieved 9 November 2015.
  24. "Haiti – FLASH : Deputation, election results of October 25, 2015". Haiti-Libre. 8 November 2015. Retrieved 9 November 2015.
  25. "Haiti – FLASH : Elections of December 27th postponed !". Haiti Libre. 21 December 2015. Retrieved 1 January 2016.
  26. "Guy Philippe, former coup leader wanted by US, wins Haiti senate seat". The Guardian . Port-au-Prince. Reuters. December 5, 2016. Retrieved December 13, 2016.