SECRETARY-GENERAL'S STATEMENT ON ELECTIONS IN HAITI

Press Release
SG/SM/7488

SECRETARY-GENERAL'S STATEMENT ON ELECTIONS IN HAITI

The following statement was issued today by the Office of the Spokesman for Secretary-General Kofi Annan:

The Secretary-General wishes to express his regret that the electoral council and Haitian authorities chose to proceed with holding run-off parliamentary elections yesterday, 9 July, without having resolved outstanding issues related to the first round. In particular, he notes that the electoral council has not corrected irregularities in the methodology used to calculate the vote percentages for Senate candidates, as pointed out by the Organization of American States as well as by other domestic and international observers.

The Haitian people had demonstrated its commitment to the democratic process by registering to vote and participating in record numbers on 21 May. That commitment has been tested by subsequent events, contributing to the low turnout in yesterday's run-off and the use of force and other improprieties to influence the outcome.

On 6 July, the Security Council encouraged the Haitian Government to investigate the miscalculation of the Senate results and other electoral irregularities, while emphasizing that free and fair elections are crucial to democracy and all aspects of Haiti's development. The Secretary-General wishes to reiterate this call, and to urge Haitian leaders to heed the wishes of the people of Haiti, who have repeatedly expressed their desire for a return to constitutionality.

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