More Grim Days Ahead for Haiti
• CEP, State Department, and Granderson see to it that former President Aristide and his Lavalas Party are marginalized in the upcoming presidential race
• Haitians’ involvement in their own election limited by international and regional bodies, as well as the U.S., France, Canada, and the UN
• CEP’s continued disservice to the Haitian electoral process
Haiti’s fast-approaching November 28 presidential and legislative elections will take place at a critical juncture in the country’s history. Haiti is still reeling from the devastating earthquake in January, and now it has the additional burden of battling the effects of a deepening cholera outbreak. Conducting elections in the midst of such a crisis presents a grave challenge for Haiti’s fragile democracy, which, in its short history, has been plagued by instability, corruption, and repeated instances of political intervention from Washington. To fully understand the magnitude of this challenge, however, mere familiarity with Haiti’s current political scene is insufficient—the upcoming elections must necessarily be placed within the context of Haiti’s tumultuous political history. This article seeks to explain the importance of Haiti’s election by first placing it in the historical context of recent Haitian politics and then by explaining the current political situation.
This analysis was prepared by COHA Research Associate Joseph Crupi
Blog de Octavio Islas 