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Send a Fax to Support Democracy in Haiti!

July 18, 2000

Dear Friends of Haiti,

Please join us in urging the OAS, the UN, the US and the EU to encourage the Haitian electoral process to continue according to the authority of the CEP, the Government of Haiti and the Haitian people!

As you know, Haiti recently experienced a historic moment when about 60% of registered voters came out to participate in local and legislative elections on May 21st. We were pleased to coordinate the only group of independent observers in the country for the event, the International Coalition of Independent Observers.

Over the last few weeks, the OAS has issued a criticism about the method of calculation used by the CEP. In addition, the UN and US State Department have echoed this criticism. People in Haiti took to the streets to protest continuing delays in the electoral process, and the international press has been virtually silent on the situation.

Just recently, Senator Helms introduced Resolution 126 that urges President Clinton and the US Congress to condemn the recent elections in Haiti and move to applying OAS pressure to prevent the success of what he labels to be fraudulent elections. As observers of these elections, we again reaffirm the necessity to let the results of the people's vote be respected.

Our observer delegation can attest to the fact that the people of Haiti want this process to continue moving forward so that the vacuum in parliament can be filled, and democracy can begin to fulfill its promises.

We are asking you to write letters based on the one below to the following leaders to ensure that these international organizations and foreign governments respect the courage of the Haitian people to come out and vote in these elections. We are asking them to support the people of Haiti at a time when they are using their voice to build democracy. We are asking them to not, at any moment, entertain the idea of punishing the people of Haiti through economic means such as sanctions in the event that results of the elections do not reflect the will of these international actors.

What You Can Do

Fill out the following form to automatically send a fax to Senators Jesse Helms, Bob Graham, Mike DeWine, Christopher Dodd, Joseph Biden, and Richard Lugar; and to OAS Secretary General Cesar Gaviria.

Let your voice be heard!

You can also copy your letter to the following people:

Secretary General Kofi Annan
United Nations
New York, NY 10017 Ambassador Donald Steinberg
White House Special Representative to Haiti
1600 Pennsylvania Avenue
Washington, DC

The Honorable Madeleine Albright
Secretary of State
US Department of State
2201 C Street NW
Washington, DC Ambassador Yves Gaudel
Ambassade de France
Port-au-Prince, Haiti

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To: The Honorable Senators Jesse Helms, Bob Graham, Mike DeWine, Christopher Dodd, Joseph Biden, and Richard Lugar Cc: Secretary General Cesar Gaviria, Organization of American States; The Honorable Orlando Marville, Chief of Mission, OAS Electoral Observation Mission Dear Senators, In light of issues surrounding the local and legislative elections held in Haiti on May 21, 2000, and the recent Resolution 126 submitted by Senator Helms, I feel compelled to bring several issues to your attention. The Haitian Provisional Electoral Council (CEP) has been the target of criticisms from the OAS and the US government. However, the CEP is the only autonomous body with the authority to release election results in Haiti. Regardless of criticisms from the losing opposition and the OAS and US government, the CEP has actually gained credibility in the eyes of the Haitian people for not bowing under pressure, and sticking by the results that the CEP released based on a calculation system determined well before the elections. Although the OAS has issued a valid criticism concerning the calculation of results, I urge you to consider these other factors that affect the situation. International organizations, particularly the OAS and U.S.-based agencies such as the International Foundation for Election Systems (IFES) have maintained a privileged role in the planning and execution of the May 21st electoral process. These organizations have also worked closely with other electoral councils to prepare and execute the 1990 and 1995 elections in Haiti. It should come as no surprise to them that the CEP followed a similar procedure for tallying the votes in these elections as it did in prior elections this decade. There is historical precedence for the method used by the CEP. In response to the OAS' strong criticism of the methods used by the CEP, I have questions about their participation in the whole of the electoral process. I am aware that they maintained a continuing dialogue with other agencies (such as IFES) who have played such an important role in training and advising the CEP on technical issues. The timing of the OAS criticism disturbs me because it creates chaos at a time when the international community should be applauding the massive initiative ofthe Haitian people to participate in democracy. I encourage you to support democracy building in Haiti, but in order to do this it is essential that the Haitian electoral process continue to move forward. We believe that the results announced by the CEP on June 19 reflect the will of the Haitian people, and in the interest of democracy, the international community must be supportive of the runoff elections and newly elected parliament. It is extremely important that the members of the international community, such as the United States or the OAS, do not consider any economic measures against the people of Haiti at a time when they are building democracy. It was the observation on May 21, 2000 of all international observers, including the OAS and the international press, that the Haitian people mobilized in large numbers to express their political will in the local and legislative elections. The people of Haiti cannot be punished for their participation. The electoral process in Haiti must continue to move forward according to the authority of the CEP, the Government of Haiti and the Haitian people. The people of Haiti voted on May 21st to bring an end to the long, desperate months since a parliament has functioned. It is their right to see this goal fulfilled. Thank you for your attention to this matter. Sincerely,

Thank you!