Development: On 27 September Haiti’s provisional electoral council (CEP) released the final results of the 9 August first round of legislative elections for two-thirds of the 30-seat national senate and the newly expanded 118-seat lower chamber of congress.
Significance: According to the results, just two candidates running for the senate and eight running for the lower chamber managed first round victories, thereby avoiding second round run-offs on 25 October (which will take place concurrently with the first round of presidential elections). The CEP’s announcement, which comes weeks after the 9 September deadline that the electoral authority had set itself, has yet to assuage existing concerns regarding the electoral process raised by civil society groups as well as the political opposition.
- The successful senate candidates were: Youri Latortue (Ayiti An Aksyon, AAA), the nephew of former interim prime minister Gérard Latortue (2004-2006); and Jean Renel Sénatus (Ligue Dessaliniene, Lide), a former government commissioner for Port-au-Prince (2012) known by his crime-fighting nickname ‘Zokiki’. Both were declared victors after challenging preliminary results which suggested that they had not won sufficient votes for a first round victory (more than 50% of the vote or, following a change introduced to electoral legislation this year, a 25% lead over their nearest competitor).
- Of the eight successful lower chamber candidates, four were from President Michel Martelly’s Parti Haïtien Têt Kalé (PHTK) – Gracia Delva, Antoine Rodon Bien Aimé, Rony Célestin, Bernard Anouce; two from the AAA – Cholser Chancy and Fritz Chéry; one from Vérité, the new party launched by former president, René Préval (1996-2001; 2006-2011) -– Gabriel Lyonel Jean; and one from Préval’s former party, Inité -Jackie Guerrier.
- On 24 September André Michel, the presidential candidate for the opposition Jistis party pulled out of the race, complaining that the CEP lacks the credibility to hold the elections. His departure follows Vérité’s 8 September announcement that it was withdrawing from the legislative second round citing similar concerns. Vérité had already raised complaints about the electoral process and the CEP following the latter’s decision to exclude its presidential candidate, Jacky Lumarque, considered a serious contender, in June for allegedly failing to present a key document.
Looking Ahead: The two likely contenders for the presidency according to an August poll by private think-tank, Bureau de Recherches en Informatiques et en Développement Economique et Sociale (Brides), are Jude Célestin (Ligue Alternative pour le Progrès et l’Emancipation Haïtienne) and Jean Charles Moïse (Pitit Dessalines). These two have shown no indication of pulling out of the contest. Both launched their campaigns on 27 September. The poll showed Célestin as the frontrunner with 15.1% of voting intentions and Moïse, second with 9.6%. Meanwhile the PHTK candidate, mechanical engineer Jovenel Moïse, a relative unknown, was in third with 6.1%.
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