Haiti
More on Haiti
by Clarens Renois
Haiti's fraud-tainted ruling party candidate was pulled from the presidential race on Thursday in a move widely welcomed as good for stability after months of deep political uncertainty.
The decision to reverse the results of disputed first round polls in November was met with calm on the streets of the quake-hit Caribbean nation, which has endured decades of political upheaval, dictatorship and bloodshed.
Haiti's decision to eliminate the government-backed candidate from a presidential runoff won praise from foreign powers Thursday, and the U.S. and others signaled they would agree with President Rene Preval staying in office for a few months past the end of his term.
Congresswoman Maxine Waters (D-Calif.) issued the following statement today after Haiti's Provisional Electoral Council (CEP) announced that Michel ‘Sweet Micky' Martelly and Mirlande Manigat will advance to a second round runoff next month in that nation's presidential election, which is consistent with the recommendations included in a report from the Organization of American States (OAS):
Pressure is rising on Haitian presidential candidate Jude Célestin to remove himself from the second round of the disputed presidential elections
By JACQUELINE CHARLES
Haitian presidential candidate Jude Célestin is resisting pressure from his political coalition to withdraw from the race and break an electoral impasse.
In a communiqué issued Wednesday, the coalition cited international pressure for the decision and said they remain convinced that Célestin won enough votes to advance into a second round of voting but that they decided not to provoke the international community.
A U.S. congresswoman with long-standing interest in Haiti says she is worried that wealthy Haitians may have promoted the return of former dictator Jean-Claude Duvalier, hoping to benefit if he returns to power.
Rep. Maxine Waters said late Tuesday she was concerned that Duvalier's wealthy supporters may have tried to take advantage of an electoral dispute that has forced delays in a presidential runoff vote. She says a power vacuum is possible when President Rene Preval leaves office on Feb. 7.
By Joseph Guyler Delva
The United States should only support November elections in Haiti if they include all eligible political parties, a group of U.S. lawmakers said, warning they saw signs of flaws that could be a "recipe for disaster."
In a letter sent this week to Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, the members of Congress said failure to hold free, fair and inclusive presidential and legislative elections on Nov. 28 could endanger Haiti's governance and reconstruction after the devastating Jan. 12 earthquake.