Statement by RNDDH Executive Director Pierre Esperance on the Candidates Rejected by the Provisional Electoral Council

Statement by RNDDH Executive Director Pierre Esperance on the Candidates Rejected by the Provisional Electoral Council

Statement by RNDDH Executive Director Pierre Esperance, February 6, 2009

(Read the original statement here)

RNDDH is not completely satisfied with the list of candidates rejected by the Provisional Electoral Council (CEP). We believe that the CEP ought to always strictly follow Haitian electoral law in carrying out its duties. In our estimation, the CEP has not respected Article 94 of the electoral law, which emphasizes the requirement of ethical integrity on the part of all candidates.

According to Article 94, someone who is being pursued by the police or the courts system must be rejected as a candidate. The following two candidates were deemed eligible by the CEP for the upcoming elections:

- Moise Jean Charles, candidate for the Lespwa platform, was the leader of a group of Lavalas partisans in Cap-Haitian on April 6, 2003 when it opened fire on a crowd that was protesting the government. One Donald Julmiste was killed, and Evens Lucien was injured. Heidi Fortune, a public prosecutor at the court of first instance was hit in the head with a rock. Moise Jean Charles is also implicated in the murder of Guitz Adrien Salvant on February 15, 2004, as well as other acts of violence carried out in the North department.

- Lieutenant Emmanuel Mc Grégoire Chevry, candidate for the Central Plateau with the Fusion party, was discharged from the Haitian Army in April 1989 under the presidency of Prosper Avril for his presumed involvement in drug trafficking.

The decision of the CEP to reject all Lavalas candidates for the election is unacceptable. Electoral law does not give the CEP the right to do this. This decision will have a major impact on the credibility of the electoral process.

The technicality cited by the CEP in order to reject the Lavalas candidates is unacceptable, and clearly was not a problem in 2006 when Lavalas candidates were allowed to run. It's true that the current CEP is made up of different people, but we know they have been in contact with the Lavalas party leaders, which would not be the case if there had always been doubts about the legitimacy of the party. This decision is perceived to have political motives.

We demand that the CEP reconsider this decision and allow those Lavalas candidates who respect Article 94 to be allowed to run, and to reject those aforementioned candidates who are currently in conflict with the law.