The Civil Society Initiative (ISC) welcomes the operations carried out by the Provisional Electoral Council (CEP) to ensure the elections are held. However, it is concerned about the integrity of the electoral process in Haiti, fearing the infiltration of gang-linked parties among the 320 political parties registered with the CEP. It calls on the Justice system, the Judicial Police, and the CEP to take all necessary measures to prevent politicians in collusion with gangs from running in the elections and returning to the forefront of the political scene to continue their destructive work. The Haitian judicial system cannot outsource its sovereign function of judging and punishing the guilty to foreign authorities and courts.

For the upcoming elections to be credible and uncontested, high voter turnout is essential. However, the CEP's announced plan to re-register voters can only delay the elections and exclude a significant portion of the electorate. There is no reason why the Dermalog card should not be used as a voter card and why the National Identification Office (ONI) registers should not serve as the basis for compiling voter lists, as in the past.

In recent elections, the determining factor for success was money, to the point that government actions served not the interests of the population, but those of the major campaign sponsors. It is absolutely essential that the provisions of electoral legislation concerning campaign spending limits, the submission and monitoring of reports on public and private funding of candidates be strictly adhered to by the Provisional Electoral Council (CEP), the Ministry of Finance, the Anti-Corruption Unit (ULCC), and the Superior Court of Accounts and Administrative Disputes (CSC/CA).

To truly emerge from this unprecedented crisis in which the country is mired, elections must be held not only in a secure environment, but also in a democratic, honest, and credible manner.

HL/ HaitiLibre