Haiti: distrust in the elections,
fear of new-liberalism
![[politics]](/cenere/shared_i/politica.gif)
Haiti: distrust in the elections, | |
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Haiti: besides fear, there is not too mutch allegation to vote for a president whom the people does not feel as his own...
| A half empty capital (Port-au-Prince) witnesses on the last Dicember 17th presidential elections wich are due to give a successor to Jean-Bertrand Aristide, a former priest and follower of Theology of Liberation, father of democratic Haiti. An unreal atmosphere for the Caribbean town, usually thronged with truks and people struggling for day to day life. "People fear something will happen or that "macoutes" will hit again - Says Daniel, a reporter of the weekly Creole paper "Liberté" - they will listen to the wireless in the morning and then, if everyting is quiet, they will come down to vote in the afternoon".
Besides fear, there is not too mutch allegation to vote for a president whom the people does not feel as his own. Aristide, infact, cannot stand for election again until 2000 on costitutional grounds, but many Haitians wish he would make up for the tree years he lost during dictatorship of general Cédras. This development is anyway hindered by financial blackmail by the USA (withdrawl of economical help). USA, though bringing a President to power again, wish a change of person, in order to have a more controllable man at helm of the country. About noon, a cheerful reception is reserved at the "Guy Malary" poll station, in the well-to-do- quarter of Pacot, to René Préval, designated by Aristide to be the edly while he is surrounded by members of Special Police, fully dressed in Black and with evident pistols in their belt. A the outside, cheery applause by a crowd of supporters, inside, storming pressmen from the whole world. " We chose Préval becuse he will continue the political line of Aristide, who will remain as a father at his side- so says a young enthusiastic supporter of Lavals (Aristide's coalition) wearing a vest with the candidate's features on it- Haiti is in need of social measures direct to reduce the poverty and we think that they alone can suceed". Of the concurring fourteen candidates the most are totally unknown, electoral campaign , too short (about ffive weeks) and the campaign itself unimpressive, so that the people was not really interested. The concourse to poll remains low during the whole day and the percentage of voters will not be at the end over 28%. The observers of the OSA (organization of American States) and MINUHA (United Nation's Mission for Haiti) confirm that the elections were under no problem of security, boycott or psychological pressure as on the contrary happened during the preceding political-amministrative elections of June-September last. Material for elections arrived almost always in due time. The observers found anyway "total co-operation and well prepared people at the poll stations...". Counting of votes showed efficiency and less than a week after election results were produced. As it was predicted, René Préval obtains a large majority with 87.9% of votes, while 2.5% was attributed to the following candidate. Therefore ther will be no second ballot and Préval, with something more than eight undred thousandvotes as from Febbruary 7th will be the President of eight milions and a half Haitians for the next five years. Aristide, for his part, declares his intention to revert wholly to social problems and meanwhile marries Mildred Trouillot, alawyer he met during his exile. Préval has now a difficult task: to cmply with international finance without deluding popular will. FMI (International Monetary Found), BM (World bank) and BIS(Internationl Development Bank) put pressure on Haiti in order to privatize the slender pubblic companies of the country, while popular associations, conscious of social disasters induced through neo-liberism in several countries, strongly oppose such measures. But Haiti is in great need of foreign financial help to recover, a circumstance that Préval, a skilled technician, knows too well. |
 Electoral polling station in front of the City Hall Presidential Elections 17/12/1995 Port du Prince ©Marco Bello 1995
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