Haitian presidential election, 2015

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Haitian presidential election, 2015

Flag of Haiti.svg


  2010-11 25 October 2015 February 2016  
Registered 5,871,450
Turnout 28.8%

  Jovenel Moise.jpg Celestin.jpg
Nominee Jovenel Moïse Jude Célestin
Party PHTK LAPEH
Popular vote508,761392,782
Percentage32.81%25.27%

President before election

Michel Martelly
Repons Peyizan

Elected President

None
(Results annulled)

Presidential elections were held in Haiti on 25 October 2015, alongside local elections and the second round of the legislative elections. [1] 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. [2] Voter turnout was reportedly 28.8%. On 22 December the Conseil Electoral Provisoire announced that the runoff has been postponed indefinitely. [3] However, on 1 January 2016 President Michel Martelly announced that the runoff would be held on 17 January, [4] 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". [5] Because of rioting and electoral violence, on 22 January the CEP decided to postpone the second round again, with no specific date given, [6] even after President Michel Martelly confirmed the previous day in a nationwide speech that the election should still take place. [7] The run-off date was later agreed to take place on 24 April 2016. [8] However, according to Reuters [9] and several [10] other sources, the runoff is postponed again with an indeterminate date most likely after October 2016. United Nations Secretary-General has expressed deep concern that the agreed upon date for holding elections in Haiti was not met and that no alternate electoral calendar was announced. [11]

Haiti country in the Caribbean

Haiti, officially the Republic of Haiti and formerly called Hayti, is a country located on the island of Hispaniola, east of Cuba in the Greater Antilles archipelago of the Caribbean Sea. It occupies the western three-eighths of the island, which it shares with the Dominican Republic. Haiti is 27,750 square kilometres (10,714 sq mi) in size and has an estimated 10.8 million people, making it the most populous country in the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) and the second-most populous country in the Caribbean as a whole.

President of Haiti

The President of Haiti, officially called the President of the Republic of Haiti is the head of state of Haiti. Executive power in Haiti is divided between the president and the government headed by the Prime Minister of Haiti. The current president is Jovenel Moïse, who took office on February 7, 2017.

Michel Martelly President of Haiti, musician

Michel Joseph Martelly is a Haitian singer and former politician who went on to serve as the President of Haiti from May 2011 until February 2016. He is from Côte-de-fer, a commune located in the South East region of Haiti. Martelly was one of Haiti's best-known musicians for over a decade, going by the stage name Sweet Micky. For business and musical reasons, Martelly has moved a number of times between the United States and Haiti. When travelling to the United States, Martelly mostly stays in Florida. After his presidency, Martelly returned to his former band and sung a carnival meringue entitled Bal Bannan nan, a message as a response to Liliane Pierre Paul, a famous Haitian female journalist in Port-au-prince.

Contents

On 5 April 2016, the Electoral Committee announced that a whole new presidential election should take place on 9 October, alongside with the second round of the parliamentary elections that has been suspended and the first round for a third of the Senate. [12]

Candidates

Seventy candidates were initially in the race, including 64 men and six women. [13] Two candidates are running as independents, Mario Andresol and Diony Monestime. [13] As of 28 May 2015, 41 challenges had been filed against 23 of the 70 candidates, including Andresol and former Prime Minister Laurent Lamothe. [14] The Departmental Bureau of Electoral Disputes heard those disputes, and will decide whether those individuals will be excluded from the presidential race. [15]

Laurent Lamothe Haitian politician

Laurent Salvador Lamothe is a Haitian businessman, economist, and political figure who has served in the government of Haiti as Minister of Foreign Affairs since October 2011, having been appointed Prime Minister on 4 May 2012. Previously, he was co-founder and CEO of the company Global Voice Group. On 14 December 2014, Lamothe resigned as Prime Minister for personal reasons.

The final list of 58 candidates was published on 12 June, [16] but in the following days two candidates were removed; Jacky Lumarque (Verité) and Level Francois (Parti de la Diaspora Haitienne pour Haiti), making a new total of 56 candidates. [17]

Results

According to preliminary results posted by the Provisional Electoral Council, Jovenel Moïse obtained 32.81% of the preferences, and Jude Célestin won 25.27%. [18]

After the preliminary results were published on 25 October 2015, Jude Célestin said he did not recognize them. His criticism was joined by five other presidential candidates. They issued a joint statement denouncing the results as “anti-democratic” and called for the people’s vote to be respected. The supporters of Célestin protested in the streets, together with the supporters of Jean-Charles Moïse’s Platfom Pitit Desalin and supporters of former President Jean-Bertrand Aristide’s Fanmi Lavalas party the presidential candidate of which, Maryse Narcisse, finished fourth behind Jean-Charles Moïse and also denounced the results during a news conference. The protesters threw rocks and burned tires. The police responded with tear gas and made some arrests. The police also stopped and searched the vehicle of a former top government prosecutor, Claudy Gassant, who is a supporter of Moïse. [19]

Jean-Charles Moïse Haitian politician

Jean-Charles Moïse is a Haitian politician. Moïse opposed President of Haiti Michel Martelly during his five-year mandate. He ran as a candidate in the Haitian presidential election, 2015 for Platfòm Pitit Desalin.

Jean-Bertrand Aristide Haitian politician who became Haitis first democratically elected president

Jean-Bertrand Aristide is a former Haitian priest and politician who became Haiti's first democratically elected president. A proponent of liberation theology, Aristide was appointed to a Roman Catholic parish in Port-au-Prince in 1982 after completing his studies to become a priest of the Salesian order. He became a focal point for the pro-democracy movement first under Jean-Claude "Baby Doc" Duvalier and then under the military transition regime which followed. He won the Haitian general election between 1990 and 1991, with 67% of the vote and was briefly president of Haiti, until a September 1991 military coup. The coup regime collapsed in 1994 under U.S. pressure and threat of force. Aristide was then president again from 1994 to 1996 and from 2001 to 2004. However, Aristide was ousted in the 2004 coup d'état after right-wing ex-army paramilitaries invaded the country from across the Dominican border. As he claimed, the United States helped orchestrate the coup against him. Aristide was later forced into exile in the Central African Republic and South Africa. He finally returned to Haiti in 2011 after seven years in exile.

Fanmi Lavalas political party

Fanmi Lavalas, is a social-democratic political party in Haiti. Its leader is former Haitian President Jean-Bertrand Aristide. It has been a powerful force in Haitian politics since 1991. Fanmi Lavalas governments advocate a policy of "growth with equity" based on Caribbean and Western European social democratic principles. Fanmi Lavalas governments have emphasised investment in education and health care as their priorities and have refused International Monetary Fund austerity measures.

CandidatePartyFirst round
Votes%
Jovenel Moïse Haitian Tèt Kale Party 508,76132.81
Jude Célestin Ligue Alternative pour le Progrès et L'Émancipation Haïtienne 392,78225.27
Jean-Charles Moïse Platfom Pitit Desalin 222,10914.27
Maryse Narcisse Fanmi Lavalas 108,8447.05
Eric Jean Baptiste Mouvement Action Socialiste 56,4273.63
Jean Henry CéantRenmen Ayiti38,8982.50
Sauveur Pierre Étienne Struggling People's Organization 30,1441.94
Irvenson Steven BenoitKonviksyon17,7961.14
Steeve Khawly Réseau Bouclier National16,7521.08
Samuel MadistinMouvement Patriotique Populaire Dessalinien13,6400.88
Jean-Chavannes JeuneCanaan10,4770.67
Maxo JosephRassemblement des Nationaux Democrates Volontaires pour l'Unité Salvatrice8,9140.57
Jean Clarens RenoisUnion Nationale pour l'Integrité et la Reconciliation8,8190.57
Chavannes Jean BaptisteKonbit Travaye Peyizan pou Libere Haiti7,4120.48
Mario AndresolIndependent7,2390.46
Beauzile Edmone Supplice Fusion of Haitian Social Democrats 5,8760.38
Amos AndréFront Uni Pour la Renaissance d'Haiti4,8880.31
Aviol FleurantNouvelle Haiti4,8860.31
Jean Bony AlexandreConcorde Nationale4,4930.29
Daniel DupitonCohésion Nationale des Partis Politiques Haitiens3,7390.24
Renold Jean Claude Bazin Christian Movement for a New Haiti 3,5700.23
Michel Fred BrutusParti Federaliste3,1770.20
Joseph G. Varnel DurandisseRetabli Ayiti2,8090.18
Charles Henri Baker Respect 2,7800.18
Marie Antoinette GautierPlan d'Action Citoyenne2,7690.18
Yves DanielPati Kreyol Nouye2,7150.17
Jephthé LucienParti Socialiste Unifie Haitien2,5440.16
Simon Dieuseul DesrasPlateforme Politique Palmis2,4590.16
Westner PolycarpeMouvman Revolisyone Ayisyen2,3160.15
Jean Hervé CharlesParti pour l'Evolution Nationale Haitienne2,1480.14
Jean Paleme MathurinPlateforme Politique G182,1420.14
Jacques SampeurKonbit Liberasyon Ekonomik2,1110.14
Mathias Pierre Konsyans Patriyotik1,9390.12
Joseph Harry BretousKonbit pou Ayiti1,9020.12
Dalvius GerardParti Alternative pour le Développement d'Haiti1,7170.11
Michelet NestorCoalition pour la Convention de la Reconstruction de la Réconciliation des Citoyens Haitiens1,7110.11
Fresnel LarosliereMouvement pour l'Instauration de la Démocratie en Haiti1,6980.11
Newton Louis St JusteFwon Revolisyone pou Entegrasyon Mas Yo1,6770.11
Jean Wiener TheageneParti pour la Rénovation d'Haiti1,5430.10
Michel AndréPlateforme Jistis1,2700.08
Rene JulienAction Democratique pour Batir Haiti1,2450.08
Vilaire Cluny DuroseauMouveman pou Endepandans Kiltirel Sosyal Ekonomik ak Politik an Ayiti1,2050.08
Antoine JosephDelivrans1,1600.07
Jean Ronald CornelyRassemblement des Patriotes Haitiens1,1590.07
Jean BertinMouvement d'Union Republicaine1,1310.07
Marc-Arthur DrouillardParti Unité Nationale9290.06
Roland MagloireParti Démocrate Institutionnaliste9160.06
Emmanuel Joseph Georges BrunetPlateforme Politique Entrenou8820.06
Jean PoncyRégénération Economique et Sociale dans l'Unité et la Liberté Totale d'Action pour Tous8580.06
Kesler DalmacyMopanou8080.05
Diony MonestimeIndependent7580.05
Nelson FlecourtOlahh Baton Jenes La7570.05
Joe Marie Judie RoyRegroupement Patriotique pour le Renouveau National6780.04
Luckner DesirMobilisation pour le Progrès d'Haiti5910.04
Against all22,1611.42
Invalid/blank votes120,066
Total1,553,131100
Source: CEP Haiti

Aftermath

Amid declarations of fraud and numerous delays of an elected government, the Provisional President Jocelerme Privet created a verification commission in May 2016 to audit the results of the August 2015 legislative elections and first round of the presidential elections. [20] On 30 May 2016 the commission, headed by Pierre François Benoît, issued a report recommending the election be redone citing findings of significant fraud.

While Haiti-based organizations found innumerable counts of fraud and proof of unfair elections on October 25, international observers endorsed the results before the interim government's report had been released. [21] According to the U.S. Deputy Spokesman, for example, "The United States regrets the decision by the Provisional Electoral Council to restart the presidential elections from the first round. This will increase time and resources needed to complete the 2015 electoral process and further delay installation of a constitutionally elected president.... The United States regrets that the electoral process has extended yet again, with the president-elect unlikely to be installed before February 7th, 2017." [22] The National Human Rights Defense Network published one of several reports criticizing the happenings on election day, using Haitian observations to bolster claims apparently unseen by many international players. [23] [24]

American officials discouraged rerunning the elections after spending $33 million on funding them. [25] In an April 2016 visit to Haiti, Special Coordinator Kenneth H. Merten said that he hoped the verification process would be "very, very fast" and that it would not change the election results. [26] Secretary of State John Kerry also emphasized the need to accept an elected government, citing the lack of international community patience with further delay. [27] The U.S. Government responded to this report by announcing its refusal to provide funding to complete the Haitian elections. [28] This development may prohibit international observers, often funded by the U.S., from observing the next electoral sessions. While the OAS received $1 million in U.S. funding for the October 25 election,[ citation needed ] the organization plans to continue observation, following a list of demanded changes to the Haitian electoral process. [29]

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References

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  13. 1 2 "LISTE DES CANDIDATS A LA PRESIDENCE AYANT FAIT LEUR DEPOT DE CANDIDATURE" (PDF). CONSEIL ELECTORAL PROVISOIRE. Archived from the original (PDF) on 29 May 2015. Retrieved 28 May 2015.
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