CLYBURN DELEGATION TO PORT-AU-PRINCE URGES HAITI TO ADDRESS VOTER DISENFRANCHISEMENT

WASHINGTON, DC—A bipartisan congressional delegation led by House Majority Whip James E. Clyburn (D-S.C.) today called upon the United States government to withhold its endorsement of the validity of yesterday’s elections in Haiti until the Haitian government, assisted by international monitors, thoroughly investigates claims of fraud made by leading opposition candidates.

Clyburn led a 10-Member delegation to Port-au-Prince on Sunday to observe the national elections in Haiti. Haitian voters were choosing from among 18 candidates to replace President Réné Préval, whose term expires in February 2011. Haitians also voted for their choices for 11 vacant seats in the 30-member Senate and for all 99 seats in the Chamber of Deputies, which have been vacant since May. Parliamentary elections had been scheduled for February 28, 2010, but were postponed nine months in the wake of the devastating earthquake that struck Port-au-Prince and surrounding areas on January 12.

In the wake of a demand from 13 presidential candidates for the elections to be annulled due to alleged fraud and abuse, Clyburn and his delegation released the following statement:

“We appreciate the great challenges that Haiti’s Provisional Electoral Council (CEP), with the help of the United Nations and the international community, had to overcome in organizing these elections after the devastating earthquake. The UN reported on Sunday that voting nationwide was largely without incident and that problems were limited to roughly 50 voting centers out of 1,500 nationwide. This report corresponds to the mostly peaceful and orderly situation that we saw on our firsthand visits to polling centers and our own conversations with election officials, monitors and voters.

“However, we have serious concerns about reports that thousands of voters were unable to cast ballots, several instances of which we observed, and more severe allegations of outright fraud. The call by 13 presidential candidates to annul the election results raises profound questions about the validity of these elections. The government of Haiti, aided by the Organization of American States (OAS) and the Caribbean Community (CARICOM), must thoroughly investigate charges of ballot box stuffing and other attempts to manipulate the results and must determine whether fraud indeed took place and how it may have affected the results. If these egregious violations of election law were indeed limited to several dozen polling places nationwide, it is possible that the overall results may not be affected materially. At a minimum, the perpetrators of such acts of electoral fraud must be identified, arrested and prosecuted by the Haitian authorities.

“It is unfortunate that problems related to the issuance of new identity cards after the earthquake and the failure to adequately notify voters of new polling sites caused thousands of Haitians to be disenfranchised. Based on our conversations and reports from the U.S. Embassy and OAS, this was the greatest shortcoming of these elections. We regret that the CEP made no contingency for such voters to cast provisional ballots. It is important to determine whether any candidate gained an advantage from this situation, or if this problem affected supporters of all candidates.

“We recognize the importance of a new Haitian president and parliament being inaugurated when President Préval’s term ends on February 7, 2011. Haiti needs a legitimate, democratic government to guide its recovery from the earthquake and its development in a manner that is responsive to the needs and aspirations of the Haitian people. But we cannot be so eager to declare these elections a success that we prematurely pass judgment on whether they were indeed conducted in accord with international standards.

“The example of Kenya in 2007, taught us that premature declarations of valid elections can be counterproductive, undermine stability and lead to violence and political conflict, as well as call into question the legitimacy of the democratic process. We urge the U.S. government, the OAS and the UN to give full consideration to the charges of fraud and abuse and to await the result of any investigation before passing judgment on the conduct of Haiti’s elections. And we urge all candidates and the Haitian people to resolve their concerns in a peaceful manner.

“It may be that incidents of fraud were isolated and ultimately will have no material impact on the final result. Nevertheless, the call by 13 presidential candidates, including the leading opposition figures, to annul the elections is serious and demands full investigation before the international community passes judgment. We will watch closely in the days and weeks ahead as this investigation proceeds. Should the election results be found to be valid, we expect that the United States government will work with the OAS and UN to help the Haitian government correct the serious problems relating to the issuance of identity cards and notification of polling sites prior to runoff elections in January 2011.”

Rep. Clyburn was joined on the delegation to Haiti by Rep. John Conyers (D-Mich.), Rep. Sheila Jackson-Lee (D-Texas), Rep. Donna Christensen (D-V.I.), Rep. Barbara Lee (D-Calif.), Rep. Emanuel Cleaver (D-Mo.), Rep. Jeff Fortenberry (R-Neb.), Rep. Hank Johnson (D-Ga.), Rep. Laura Richardson (D-Calif.) and Rep. Marcia Fudge (D-Ohio). The nine Democrats are all Members of the Congressional Black Caucus. Rep. Fortenberry is a Member of the House Democracy Partnership, a commission of 20 Members of the House of Representatives that works to build stronger, more effective legislatures in 14 countries worldwide, including Haiti.