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Haiti’s delayed poll a chance to end political crisis

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Haiti goes to the polls on Sunday in hopes of dragging itself out of a long-standing political crisis and choosing a leader from a 27-strong roster of presidential candidates.

The impoverished Caribbean island nation had a brutal struggle to escape slavery and colonialism followed by decades of corrupt autocracy and, in recent years, a series of crippling natural disasters.

Coming three decades after the fall of the Duvalier dictatorships, Sunday's delayed polls for president and part of parliament could mark a chance to start building the institutions of constitutional rule.

But many challenges -- poverty, civil unrest, corruption and the lingering effects of the 2010 earthquake, a cholera epidemic and last month's hurricane -- remain to cloud the poll.

- Constitutional crisis -

Haiti factfile
Haiti factfile
Sophie RAMIS, Sebastian HULD, Jonathan JACOBSEN, AFP

On October 25 last year, Haiti attempted to organize the first round of a presidential election to replace President Michel Martelly, a popular singer in power since May 2011.

Martelly, known by his stage name Sweet Micky, had won the 2011 run-off vote only after his opponent Jude Celestin was disqualified for alleged fraud.

Last year, the tables were turned when Celestin refused to accept his apparent first round defeat to Martelly's handpicked successor, agricultural baron Jovenel Moise.

An independent panel eventually agreed with the opposition that Moise's win was tainted by massive fraud and the poll results were thrown out -- creating a power vacuum when Martelly's mandate expired in February of this year.

Parliament chose Senate chairman Jocelerme Privert as interim head of state -- initially for a mandate of three months -- but, amid civil unrest and political infighting, new polls were delayed.

Now the vote is scheduled for Sunday, with 27 presidential candidates and an eventual run-off between the front-runners on January 29.

- Favorites confident -

Supporters of Haitian presidential candidate Marysse Narcisse graffiti a truck at a rally in Port-au...
Supporters of Haitian presidential candidate Marysse Narcisse graffiti a truck at a rally in Port-au-Prince, on November 17, 2016
Hector Retamal, AFP/File

While Haiti's potential 6.3 million voters will have to pick from a long list of hopefuls, in reality only a handful have a chance of making it past the first round.

The wealthy Moise has the support of Martelly's camp and his PHTK party and Celestin, backed by the opposition LAPEH, remains his main threat.

From their left, the populist Moise Jean-Charles of the "Children of Dessalines" movement hopes his high profile in anti-Martelly protests will carry the day.

And the campaign of Maryse Narcisse has attracted attention, since she represents the Fanmi Lavalas party of former president Jean-Bertrand Aristide, still a hero to many of Haiti's poor.

Any candidate that wins more than half of the votes cast on Sunday will be the victor. Otherwise, the run-off will go ahead as planned in January.

And much will depend on who can turn out his or her own supporters -- turnout is not expected to be high in a country which has learned not to expect too much from its own rulers.

Last year, barely a quarter of those eligible to vote turned out and their votes were voided when the tainted poll was ruled invalid.

- Exile or poverty -

Last year  an independent panel determined that candidate Jovenel Moise's first round win was t...
Last year, an independent panel determined that candidate Jovenel Moise's first round win was tainted by massive fraud and threw out election results, creating a power vacuum in the already politically troubled country of Haiti
Hector Retamal, AFP/File

More than half of Haitians are under 20 years old, and few youths have much interest in politics, with many more seeking ways to escape the hemisphere's poorest nation to seek their future elsewhere.

"Once they finish college, young people can't find decent jobs and set off for South America -- Chile or Brazil -- many of them hoping to one day make it to the United States," said economist Kesner Pharel.

"It's a catastrophic situation for young, middle-class Haitians -- a real brain drain."

Haiti's inflation rate runs at more than 10 percent and it carries a national debt of more than $2 billion.

Agriculture is the only systemically significant industry -- manufacturing is in its infancy and tourists are put off by poverty and rampant insecurity -- and many farms and plantations were devastated by deadly Hurricane Matthew last month.

"Whoever walks through the doors of the presidential palace on February 7 won't be in for an easy ride, faced with the question, 'How do we restart this economy' and without necessarily having a parliamentary majority," Pharel warned.

- 'Just get this done' -

Supporters of the PHTK political party flee from water cannon during a protest in Port-au-Prince  on...
Supporters of the PHTK political party flee from water cannon during a protest in Port-au-Prince, on May 14, 2016, to demand the departure of Haitian Provisional President Jocelerme Privert
Hector Retamal, AFP/File

For his part, Juan Raul Ferreira, leader of the Organization of American States' poll monitoring mission, is more optimistic -- at least about the chances of a decent turnout conferring legitimacy on Haitian institutions.

"The hurricane can be seen two ways," the Uruguayan diplomat said.

"On one hand, it forced a rescheduling of the elections, but on the other hand it has provoked a reaction from the people. who are saying: 'We have to go through this once and for all'."

Haiti goes to the polls on Sunday in hopes of dragging itself out of a long-standing political crisis and choosing a leader from a 27-strong roster of presidential candidates.

The impoverished Caribbean island nation had a brutal struggle to escape slavery and colonialism followed by decades of corrupt autocracy and, in recent years, a series of crippling natural disasters.

Coming three decades after the fall of the Duvalier dictatorships, Sunday’s delayed polls for president and part of parliament could mark a chance to start building the institutions of constitutional rule.

But many challenges — poverty, civil unrest, corruption and the lingering effects of the 2010 earthquake, a cholera epidemic and last month’s hurricane — remain to cloud the poll.

– Constitutional crisis –

Haiti factfile

Haiti factfile
Sophie RAMIS, Sebastian HULD, Jonathan JACOBSEN, AFP

On October 25 last year, Haiti attempted to organize the first round of a presidential election to replace President Michel Martelly, a popular singer in power since May 2011.

Martelly, known by his stage name Sweet Micky, had won the 2011 run-off vote only after his opponent Jude Celestin was disqualified for alleged fraud.

Last year, the tables were turned when Celestin refused to accept his apparent first round defeat to Martelly’s handpicked successor, agricultural baron Jovenel Moise.

An independent panel eventually agreed with the opposition that Moise’s win was tainted by massive fraud and the poll results were thrown out — creating a power vacuum when Martelly’s mandate expired in February of this year.

Parliament chose Senate chairman Jocelerme Privert as interim head of state — initially for a mandate of three months — but, amid civil unrest and political infighting, new polls were delayed.

Now the vote is scheduled for Sunday, with 27 presidential candidates and an eventual run-off between the front-runners on January 29.

– Favorites confident –

Supporters of Haitian presidential candidate Marysse Narcisse graffiti a truck at a rally in Port-au...

Supporters of Haitian presidential candidate Marysse Narcisse graffiti a truck at a rally in Port-au-Prince, on November 17, 2016
Hector Retamal, AFP/File

While Haiti’s potential 6.3 million voters will have to pick from a long list of hopefuls, in reality only a handful have a chance of making it past the first round.

The wealthy Moise has the support of Martelly’s camp and his PHTK party and Celestin, backed by the opposition LAPEH, remains his main threat.

From their left, the populist Moise Jean-Charles of the “Children of Dessalines” movement hopes his high profile in anti-Martelly protests will carry the day.

And the campaign of Maryse Narcisse has attracted attention, since she represents the Fanmi Lavalas party of former president Jean-Bertrand Aristide, still a hero to many of Haiti’s poor.

Any candidate that wins more than half of the votes cast on Sunday will be the victor. Otherwise, the run-off will go ahead as planned in January.

And much will depend on who can turn out his or her own supporters — turnout is not expected to be high in a country which has learned not to expect too much from its own rulers.

Last year, barely a quarter of those eligible to vote turned out and their votes were voided when the tainted poll was ruled invalid.

– Exile or poverty –

Last year  an independent panel determined that candidate Jovenel Moise's first round win was t...

Last year, an independent panel determined that candidate Jovenel Moise's first round win was tainted by massive fraud and threw out election results, creating a power vacuum in the already politically troubled country of Haiti
Hector Retamal, AFP/File

More than half of Haitians are under 20 years old, and few youths have much interest in politics, with many more seeking ways to escape the hemisphere’s poorest nation to seek their future elsewhere.

“Once they finish college, young people can’t find decent jobs and set off for South America — Chile or Brazil — many of them hoping to one day make it to the United States,” said economist Kesner Pharel.

“It’s a catastrophic situation for young, middle-class Haitians — a real brain drain.”

Haiti’s inflation rate runs at more than 10 percent and it carries a national debt of more than $2 billion.

Agriculture is the only systemically significant industry — manufacturing is in its infancy and tourists are put off by poverty and rampant insecurity — and many farms and plantations were devastated by deadly Hurricane Matthew last month.

“Whoever walks through the doors of the presidential palace on February 7 won’t be in for an easy ride, faced with the question, ‘How do we restart this economy’ and without necessarily having a parliamentary majority,” Pharel warned.

– ‘Just get this done’ –

Supporters of the PHTK political party flee from water cannon during a protest in Port-au-Prince  on...

Supporters of the PHTK political party flee from water cannon during a protest in Port-au-Prince, on May 14, 2016, to demand the departure of Haitian Provisional President Jocelerme Privert
Hector Retamal, AFP/File

For his part, Juan Raul Ferreira, leader of the Organization of American States’ poll monitoring mission, is more optimistic — at least about the chances of a decent turnout conferring legitimacy on Haitian institutions.

“The hurricane can be seen two ways,” the Uruguayan diplomat said.

“On one hand, it forced a rescheduling of the elections, but on the other hand it has provoked a reaction from the people. who are saying: ‘We have to go through this once and for all’.”

AFP
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With 2,400 staff representing 100 different nationalities, AFP covers the world as a leading global news agency. AFP provides fast, comprehensive and verified coverage of the issues affecting our daily lives.

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