Haiti’s Electoral Crisis and Unsteady Future · Global Voices
Post-elections protest, Jacmel, #Haiti, August 2015. Photo by <PERSON>, used under a CC BY-NC-SA 2.0 license.
The presidential elections in Haiti are being dragged out for quite some time now.
When the legislative elections took place on August 9, 2015, many protestors took to the streets over their suspicions that the results were fraudulent; the unrest was followed by the first round of presidential elections on October 25 — but because the incumbent, <PERSON>, was constitutionally barred from contesting this election and no other candidate won a majority vote during the first round, a runoff was supposed to be held on December 27. That election never happened.
Fast forward to 2016: oppositional presidential candidate <PERSON> and government-backed rival candidate <PERSON>, who came out on top in the first round of polling, were expected to go head-to-head on January 24. Surprisingly, <PERSON> announced on January 18 that he would not be participating in the planned election. He proceeded to call for a boycott. Soon afterwards, a group of eight (called the ‘G8′) Haitian opposition presidential candidates, did the same.
It was initially hoped that this runoff election would help revive citizens’ faith in the electoral process and restore civil order in one of the most unstable countries in the region — or at least that seems to be the most common narrative about the situation.
A second straight day of protests over elections starting along Grand Rue. #Haiti #HaitiElections pic.twitter.com/91PVaj8kFd
— Jacqueline Charles (@Jacquiecharles) January 19, 2016
While rumors swirl that violence is the cause of the electoral delays, the blog Dady Chery was quick to assert:
The fight for Haiti is on. Since Haitians scuttled the fraudulent elections and started to make their own plans, the foreign occupation has become desperate to concoct a pseudo-Haitian solution to the electoral impasse. A disinformation campaign from mainstream news organs like the Associated Press, Reuters, The Guardian, and the Miami Herald is the vanguard of a colonial attempt to take Haiti.
As of right now, the only person running for Haiti's rigged election is <PERSON>, the founder of Agritrans, a private banana plantation that has allegedly been dispossessing about 800 peasants who were legally farming, by destroying houses and crops. 142
The company then exports the bananas to Germany, despite the fact that Haiti does not have enough food to feed itself.
A report by <PERSON> and <PERSON> fears that <PERSON> is only seizing land for his benefit:
A <PERSON> presidency would ensure that political decisions prioritize free trade and private enterprise over support for the destitute majority. This, in turn, would likely give a green light to massive land grabs that are planned or in process, while peasants working the land would be dispossessed.
Nevertheless, the politician has people standing by his side:
Supporters of <PERSON> took to the streets today in Cap-Haitien and Port-au-Prince in support of him. #Haiti pic.twitter.com/3EDZrrdeHy
— <PERSON> (@Jacquiecharles) January 24, 2016
Twitter user <PERSON> was concerned about the authenticity of it all:
<PERSON> Is anyone wondering why all over sudden these people are protesting for him? Are they getting paid? @nytimes
— <PERSON> (@dbienaime) January 25, 2016
To further complicate matters, opposition protesters began to clash with <PERSON> ex-soldiers. These former members of the armed forces, known as the Forces Armees D'Haiti (FADH), supported <PERSON> based on his promises to restore the country's army.
My, my my. I wonder where they are going? Ex-Fadh. #Haiti pic.twitter.com/6zIvelP7V1
— <PERSON> (@Jacquiecharles) February 5, 2016
However, on February 7 — the last day of <PERSON>'s term in office — he stepped down, leaving an interim government. He signed an agreement with two parliamentary leaders — Senator <PERSON> and Lower House Leader <PERSON> — which states that Prime Minister <PERSON> will run the country until an interim president can be picked by the legislature. In the event that an interim president is chosen, that person will serve for 120 days while new elections are organized. These new elections are to be held no later than April 24, with a new president to be inaugurated by May 14. 142