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<strong><span style="font-family:calibri;font-size:11pt">Human
Rights and Alternative Media Delegation Report</span><span
style="font-family:calibri;font-size:11pt"></span></strong>
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<p style="margin:0in 0in 0pt;font-family:"times new
roman";font-size:12pt"><b><span
style="font-family:calibri;font-size:11pt">Haiti November
20<sup>th</sup> Elections</span></b></p>
<p style="margin:0in 0in 0pt;font-family:"times new
roman";font-size:12pt"><b><span
style="font-family:calibri;font-size:11pt"> </span></b></p>
<p style="margin:0in 0in 0pt;font-family:"times new
roman";font-size:12pt"><b><span
style="font-family:calibri;font-size:11pt">Submitted by: </span></b></p>
<p style="margin:0in 0in 0pt;font-family:"times new
roman";font-size:12pt"><span
style="font-family:calibri;font-size:11pt">Pierre
Labossiere, Haiti Action Committee/Oakland California</span></p>
<p style="margin:0in 0in 0pt;font-family:"times new
roman";font-size:12pt"><span
style="font-family:calibri;font-size:11pt">Margaret Prescod,
host of Pacifica Radio’s “Sojourner Truth”</span></p>
<p style="margin:0in 0in 0pt;font-family:"times new
roman";font-size:12pt"><span
style="font-family:calibri;font-size:11pt"> </span></p>
<p style="margin:0in 0in 0pt;font-family:"times new
roman";font-size:12pt"><b><span
style="font-family:calibri;font-size:11pt">Lead Up to
Election Day</span></b><span
style="font-family:calibri;font-size:11pt"></span></p>
<p style="margin:0in 0in 0pt;font-family:"times new
roman";font-size:12pt"><span
style="font-family:calibri;font-size:11pt"> </span></p>
<p style="margin:0in 0in 0pt;font-family:"times new
roman";font-size:12pt"><span
style="font-family:calibri;font-size:11pt">Friday, November
18<sup>th</sup> was the last day of campaigning for Haiti’s
Presidential and Parliamentary elections which were to be
held on Sunday, November 20<sup>th</sup>. <span
tabindex="0" class="gmail-aBn"><span class="gmail-aQJ">On
Friday</span></span> we visited Delmas 2 where we met
with activists on the ground including women and men.
Preparations were underway for the get-out-the vote
campaign. In Delmas 2 there were banners and other
materials for the Lavalas Presidential candidate Dr. Maryse
Narcisse. Several people expressed to us the widespread
concern that the election maybe stolen, nevertheless the
people we spoke to felt it was nevertheless important to
vote.</span></p>
<p style="margin:0in 0in 0pt;font-family:"times new
roman";font-size:12pt"><span
style="font-family:calibri;font-size:11pt"> </span></p>
<p style="margin:0in 0in 0pt;font-family:"times new
roman";font-size:12pt"><span
style="font-family:calibri;font-size:11pt">Later <span
tabindex="0" class="gmail-aBn"><span class="gmail-aQJ">on
Friday</span></span>, we visited Cite Soleil where a
massive march was taking place. The March preceded and
followed a motorcade with former Haitian President Jean
Bertrand Aristide and Dr. Maryse Narcisse. Tens of
thousands took part in the march. The atmosphere was
festive with music and dancing. The mood in the crowd was
determined, although some we spoke to also expressed
concerns about a stolen election, people generally seemed
enthusiastic about voting. A popular song poking fun at
Jovenal Moise the candidate endorsed by former President
Michel Martelly entitled “Banann” was often played and all
seemed to know the words and sang along. </span></p>
<p style="margin:0in 0in 0pt;font-family:"times new
roman";font-size:12pt"><span
style="font-family:calibri;font-size:11pt"> </span></p>
<p style="margin:0in 0in 0pt;font-family:"times new
roman";font-size:12pt"><span
style="font-family:calibri;font-size:11pt">Early that
evening there was a massive Lavalas rally at the old
airfield in Delmas 2. The crowd grew to tens of thousands.
There was a notable lack of western media present at that
rally. The mood was joyful and enthusiastic, many there
said, including some of the speakers, that if the election
was not fraudulent, Dr. Narcisse would win on the first
round.</span></p>
<p style="margin:0in 0in 0pt;font-family:"times new
roman";font-size:12pt"><span
style="font-family:calibri;font-size:11pt"> </span></p>
<p style="margin:0in 0in 0pt;font-family:"times new
roman";font-size:12pt"><span
style="font-family:calibri;font-size:11pt">On Saturday,
November 19<sup>th</sup> no election campaigning was
allowed. We visited a few neighborhoods including various
parts of Delmas and spoke with people. In one upscale
neighborhood, a young man who spoke English said he was not
going to vote because “everyone knows the US selects our
President, no matter who we vote for.”</span></p>
<p style="margin:0in 0in 0pt;font-family:"times new
roman";font-size:12pt"><span
style="font-family:calibri;font-size:11pt"> </span></p>
<p style="margin:0in 0in 0pt;font-family:"times new
roman";font-size:12pt"><b><span
style="font-family:calibri;font-size:11pt">Voting Process</span></b><span
style="font-family:calibri;font-size:11pt"></span></p>
<p style="margin:0in 0in 0pt;font-family:"times new
roman";font-size:12pt"><span
style="font-family:calibri;font-size:11pt"> </span></p>
<p style="margin:0in 0in 0pt;font-family:"times new
roman";font-size:12pt"><span
style="font-family:calibri;font-size:11pt">We started out
early on election day Sunday, November 20<sup>th</sup>. We
travelled in a motorcade with a couple of National Electoral
Observers. We visited between 12-15 voting centers based in
several neighborhoods, including the upscale Petion-Ville,
and the impoverished area of Cite Soleil. The Voting
Centers were based in schools or similar facilities. Each
Voting Center housed on average 20 to 50+ polling
stations, individual voting booths made from sturdy
cardboard were inside the polling stations.</span></p>
<p style="margin:0in 0in 0pt;font-family:"times new
roman";font-size:12pt"><span
style="font-family:calibri;font-size:11pt"> </span></p>
<p style="margin:0in 0in 0pt;font-family:"times new
roman";font-size:12pt"><span
style="font-family:calibri;font-size:11pt">There was a list
outside each polling center with the names of people who
were to vote at that center. Then within each polling
station there was another list and one’s name had to be on
both lists to vote. After people voted, they were to sign
next to their names or be fingerprinted; voters' thumbs were
then stained with indelible ink to indicate that they voted.</span></p>
<p style="margin:0in 0in 0pt;font-family:"times new
roman";font-size:12pt"><span
style="font-family:calibri;font-size:11pt"> </span></p>
<p style="margin:0in 0in 0pt;font-family:"times new
roman";font-size:12pt"><span
style="font-family:calibri;font-size:11pt">On the surface,
everything appeared calm since early day concerns of
physical violence did not materialize, but as the day wore
on those who were not able to vote were quite agitated. Most
of the Voting Centers we visited were busy, several with
lines outside. </span></p>
<p style="margin:0in 0in 0pt;font-family:"times new
roman";font-size:12pt"><b><span
style="font-family:calibri;font-size:11pt"><br>
</span></b></p>
<p style="margin:0in 0in 0pt;font-family:"times new
roman";font-size:12pt"><b><span
style="font-family:calibri;font-size:11pt">Voting Day
Problems</span></b><span
style="font-family:calibri;font-size:11pt"></span></p>
<p style="margin:0in 0in 0pt;font-family:"times new
roman";font-size:12pt"><span
style="font-family:calibri;font-size:11pt"> </span></p>
<ul style="margin-top:0in;margin-bottom:0in" type="disc">
<li style="margin:0in 0in 0pt;font-family:"times new
roman";font-size:12pt"><span
style="font-family:calibri;font-size:11pt">A number of
people stated that they could not vote because they had no
voter ID; it was simply impossible for certain people to
obtain this ID card.</span></li>
</ul>
<p style="margin:0in 0in 0pt;font-family:"times new
roman";font-size:12pt"><b><span
style="font-family:calibri;font-size:11pt"> </span></b></p>
<p style="margin:0in 0in 0pt;font-family:"times new
roman";font-size:12pt"><b><span
style="font-family:calibri;font-size:11pt">Example</span></b><span
style="font-family:calibri;font-size:11pt">: One man applied
over 14 months ago and after 6 or 7 fruitless,
time-consuming trips to the crowded ONI office that provides
the voter ID cards, he could not vote in the elections. </span></p>
<p style="margin:0in 0in 0pt;font-family:"times new
roman";font-size:12pt"><span
style="font-family:calibri;font-size:11pt"> </span></p>
<p style="margin:0in 0in 0pt;font-family:"times new
roman";font-size:12pt"><span
style="font-family:calibri;font-size:11pt">Many voters with
voter ID cards could not find their names on the voter lists
posted <i>outside</i> voting centers and unable to vote. </span></p>
<p style="margin:0in 0in 0pt;font-family:"times new
roman";font-size:12pt"><span
style="font-family:calibri;font-size:11pt"> </span></p>
<p style="margin:0in 0in 0pt;font-family:"times new
roman";font-size:12pt"><b><span
style="font-family:calibri;font-size:11pt">Example</span></b><span
style="font-family:calibri;font-size:11pt">: Several voters
determined to vote told us that they stopped after searching
for their names at three or even four voting centers. A few
voters with more resources (like a vehicle) and connections
said that they were successful only after visiting 3 or 4
centers. One elderly woman in Carrefour/Kafou who was at her
fourth voting center stated that she could find no
assistance and was too tired to continue to try to vote.</span></p>
<p style="margin:0in 0in 0pt;font-family:"times new
roman";font-size:12pt"><span
style="font-family:calibri;font-size:11pt"> </span></p>
<ul style="margin-top:0in;margin-bottom:0in" type="disc">
<li style="margin:0in 0in 0pt;font-family:"times new
roman";font-size:12pt"><span
style="font-family:calibri;font-size:11pt">Voters with ID
cards could not find their names on the voter lists <i>inside</i>
polling stations when their names were on the lists posted
outside. Also, many voters could not find their names on
the list outside the voting center.</span></li>
</ul>
<p style="margin:0in 0in 0pt;font-family:"times new
roman";font-size:12pt"><span
style="font-family:calibri;font-size:11pt"> </span></p>
<p style="margin:0in 0in 0pt;font-family:"times new
roman";font-size:12pt"><b><span
style="font-family:calibri;font-size:11pt">Example</span></b><span
style="font-family:calibri;font-size:11pt">: Voters told us
of their frustrating search from one polling station to
another inside several voting centers; they were advised by
CEP staff to try another voting center.</span></p>
<p style="margin:0in 0in 0pt;font-family:"times new
roman";font-size:12pt"><span
style="font-family:calibri;font-size:11pt"> </span></p>
<ul style="margin-top:0in;margin-bottom:0in" type="disc">
<li style="margin:0in 0in 0pt;font-family:"times new
roman";font-size:12pt"><span
style="font-family:calibri;font-size:11pt">Voters with
voter ID cards were inexplicably re-assigned to vote in
other far away voting centers, miles from their place of
residence and even in different cities</span></li>
</ul>
<p style="margin:0in 0in 0pt;font-family:"times new
roman";font-size:12pt"><span
style="font-family:calibri;font-size:11pt"> </span></p>
<p style="margin:0in 0in 0pt;font-family:"times new
roman";font-size:12pt"><b><span
style="font-family:calibri;font-size:11pt">Example</span></b><span
style="font-family:calibri;font-size:11pt">: Several voters
we met faced this, including a man residing in the
Carrefour/Kafou neighborhood of Port-au-Prince. He found out
after a fruitless search at each of the polling stations
inside the voting center where he had always voted that this
time he could not vote there. He had been reassigned to vote
in the locality of Haut-du-Cap about 147 miles away.</span></p>
<p style="margin:0in 0in 0pt;font-family:"times new
roman";font-size:12pt"><span
style="font-family:calibri;font-size:11pt"> </span></p>
<ul style="margin-top:0in;margin-bottom:0in" type="disc">
<li style="margin:0in 0in 0pt;font-family:"times new
roman";font-size:12pt"><span
style="font-family:calibri;font-size:11pt">Voters with
voter ID cards who had been provided information by the
CEP/KEP phone service about where to vote were not allowed
to vote.</span></li>
</ul>
<p style="margin:0in 0in 0pt;font-family:"times new
roman";font-size:12pt"><span
style="font-family:calibri;font-size:11pt"> </span></p>
<p style="margin:0in 0in 0pt;font-family:"times new
roman";font-size:12pt"><b><span
style="font-family:calibri;font-size:11pt">Example</span></b><span
style="font-family:calibri;font-size:11pt">: Several
frustrated voters showed us SMS messages on their phone from
the CEP/KEP (Provisional Electoral Council) directing them
to their respective voting center. When they got there,
their names could not be found on the voting center lists.</span></p>
<p style="margin:0in 0in 0pt;font-family:"times new
roman";font-size:12pt"><span
style="font-family:calibri;font-size:11pt"> </span></p>
<ul style="margin-top:0in;margin-bottom:0in" type="disc">
<li style="margin:0in 0in 0pt;font-family:"times new
roman";font-size:12pt"><span
style="font-family:calibri;font-size:11pt">In many cases,
the CEP/KEP phone service to assist voters in locating
their assigned voting centers and polling stations was not
functioning on election day.</span></li>
</ul>
<p style="margin:0in 0in 0pt;font-family:"times new
roman";font-size:12pt"><span
style="font-family:calibri;font-size:11pt"> </span></p>
<p style="margin:0in 0in 0pt;font-family:"times new
roman";font-size:12pt"><b><span
style="font-family:calibri;font-size:11pt">Example</span></b><span
style="font-family:calibri;font-size:11pt">: We talked to
voters who tried with no success to connect with the numbers
of the CEP/KEP phone service, and ended up not voting
because they did not know where to vote.</span></p>
<ul style="margin-top:0in;margin-bottom:0in" type="disc">
<li style="margin:0in 0in 0pt;font-family:"times new
roman";font-size:12pt"><span
style="font-family:calibri;font-size:11pt">Voters inside a
voting center were prevented from voting while standing in
line.</span></li>
</ul>
<p style="margin:0in 0in 0pt;font-family:"times new
roman";font-size:12pt"><span
style="font-family:calibri;font-size:11pt"> </span></p>
<p style="margin:0in 0in 0pt;font-family:"times new
roman";font-size:12pt"><b><span
style="font-family:calibri;font-size:11pt">Example</span></b><span
style="font-family:calibri;font-size:11pt">: Voters in Cite
Soleil/Site Soley who had entered the Voting Center before
the <span tabindex="0" class="gmail-aBn"><span
class="gmail-aQJ">4pm</span></span> voting deadline and
were looking for their polling station or waiting in line
outside their polling station were not allowed to vote.
Officials stated that they could not vote since they we not
inside the individualized voting booths by <span
tabindex="0" class="gmail-aBn"><span class="gmail-aQJ">4:00
p.m.</span></span> Their protests were in vain, indeed
they were met by police with large long guns.</span></p>
<p style="margin:0in 0in 0pt;font-family:"times new
roman";font-size:12pt"><span
style="font-family:calibri;font-size:11pt"> </span></p>
<ul style="margin-top:0in;margin-bottom:0in" type="disc">
<li style="margin:0in 0in 0pt;font-family:"times new
roman";font-size:12pt"><span
style="font-family:calibri;font-size:11pt">The countrywide
electrical blackout that occurred one hour or so after the
polls closed during the vote counting has led to
widespread charges of "magouy" or massive fraud, including
vote-switching and ballot dumping during that time.</span></li>
</ul>
<p style="margin:0in 0in 0pt;font-family:"times new
roman";font-size:12pt"><span
style="font-family:calibri;font-size:11pt"> </span></p>
<ul style="margin-top:0in;margin-bottom:0in" type="disc">
<li style="margin:0in 0in 0pt;font-family:"times new
roman";font-size:12pt"><span
style="font-family:calibri;font-size:11pt">The Haitian
elite media illegally reported results of voting at
selected polling stations about two hours after the polls
closed claiming a huge win for Jovenel Moise, the
candidate of the PHTK party of former Duvalierist
president Martelly.</span></li>
</ul>
<p style="margin:0in 0in 0pt;font-family:"times new
roman";font-size:12pt"><span
style="font-family:calibri;font-size:11pt"> </span></p>
<ul style="margin-top:0in;margin-bottom:0in" type="disc">
<li style="margin:0in 0in 0pt;font-family:"times new
roman";font-size:12pt"><span
style="font-family:calibri;font-size:11pt">We heard
numerous reports that Digicel phone company was observed
outside of voting centers illegally giving out to voters’
phone cards of a monetary value with the emblem and photo
of Jovenel Moise candidate of PHTK. People were also
reporting that Digicel was sending phone messages to its
customers urging a vote for the PHTK candidate.</span></li>
</ul>
<p style="margin:0in 0in 0pt;font-family:"times new
roman";font-size:12pt"><span
style="font-family:calibri;font-size:11pt"> </span></p>
<ul style="margin-top:0in;margin-bottom:0in" type="disc">
<li style="margin:0in 0in 0pt;font-family:"times new
roman";font-size:12pt"><span
style="font-family:calibri;font-size:11pt">Voting centers
in rural areas, per several reports we heard from rural
voters, are located about 20 km or more from many voters’
place of residence. In addition to the great distances to
travel with none to very limited transportation, rural
voters encountered all the other problems described above.</span></li>
</ul>
<p style="margin:0in 0in 0pt;font-family:"times new
roman";font-size:12pt"><span
style="font-family:calibri;font-size:11pt"> </span></p>
<ul style="margin-top:0in;margin-bottom:0in" type="disc">
<li style="margin:0in 0in 0pt;font-family:"times new
roman";font-size:12pt"><span
style="font-family:calibri;font-size:11pt">A large market
in Petion-Ville that benefited impoverished market women
and their customers was burned to the ground on election
night. The market women lost everything. A member of our
delegation visited the market and met with the women. The
women said the fire was “political”. </span> </li>
</ul>
<p style="margin:0in 0in 0pt;font-family:"times new
roman";font-size:12pt"><span
style="font-family:calibri;font-size:11pt"> </span></p>
<p style="margin:0in 0in 0pt;font-family:"times new
roman";font-size:12pt"><span
style="font-family:calibri;font-size:11pt"> </span></p>
<p style="margin:0in 0in 0pt;font-family:"times new
roman";font-size:12pt"><b><span
style="font-family:calibri;font-size:11pt">Reports of
Fraud</span></b><span
style="font-family:calibri;font-size:11pt"></span></p>
<p style="margin:0in 0in 0pt;font-family:"times new
roman";font-size:12pt"><b><span
style="font-family:calibri;font-size:11pt"> </span></b></p>
<ul style="margin-top:0in;margin-bottom:0in" type="disc">
<li style="margin:0in 0in 0pt;font-family:"times new
roman";font-size:12pt"><span
style="font-family:calibri;font-size:11pt">There are
reports (and photos) of uncounted, discarded and burnt
ballots marked for the other candidates found in different
areas of Haiti</span></li>
<li style="margin:0in 0in 0pt;font-family:"times new
roman";font-size:12pt"><span
style="font-family:calibri;font-size:11pt">Reports of
ballot stuffing</span></li>
<li style="margin:0in 0in 0pt;font-family:"times new
roman";font-size:12pt"><span
style="font-family:calibri;font-size:11pt">Long
unexplained delays for the transfer of official tally
sheets of individual ballots from the polling stations to
the central tabulation center</span></li>
<li style="margin:0in 0in 0pt;font-family:"times new
roman";font-size:12pt"><span
style="font-family:calibri;font-size:11pt">A large number
of tally sheets were missing required authentication,
including voter signatures or fingerprints.</span></li>
<li style="margin:0in 0in 0pt;font-family:"times new
roman";font-size:12pt"><span
style="font-family:calibri;font-size:11pt">The countrywide
electrical power outage that occurred one hour after the
polls had closed, as votes were being counted; the nearly
2-hour darkness raised much alarm among a knowledgeable
and vigilant public fearing that like the 2015 elections,
that a vote switching operation was under way.</span></li>
</ul>
<p style="margin:0in 0in 0pt;font-family:"times new
roman";font-size:12pt"><b><span
style="font-family:calibri;font-size:11pt"> </span></b></p>
<p style="margin:0in 0in 0pt;font-family:"times new
roman";font-size:12pt"><b><span
style="font-family:calibri;font-size:11pt"> </span></b></p>
<p style="margin:0in 0in 0pt;font-family:"times new
roman";font-size:12pt"><b><span
style="font-family:calibri;font-size:11pt">Conclusions</span></b><span
style="font-family:calibri;font-size:11pt"></span></p>
<p style="margin:0in 0in 0pt;font-family:"times new
roman";font-size:12pt"><span
style="font-family:calibri;font-size:11pt"> </span></p>
<p style="margin:0in 0in 0pt;font-family:"times new
roman";font-size:12pt"><span
style="font-family:calibri;font-size:11pt">Observations of
voting activities on the day of the election, lead to the
conclusion that there was widespread organized voter
suppression which impacted the reported election results.
Eligible voters were kept from voting using methods
described above, this negatively impacted the number of
voters declared to have cast their ballots.</span></p>
<p style="margin:0in 0in 0pt;font-family:"times new
roman";font-size:12pt"><span
style="font-family:calibri;font-size:11pt"> </span></p>
<p style="margin:0in 0in 0pt;font-family:"times new
roman";font-size:12pt"><span
style="font-family:calibri;font-size:11pt">One of the major
complaints targeted ONI (Office National d'Identification),
the only agency designated to issue required voter ID cards,
as an estimated 2 million voters were deprived of these
cards. Voters who had ID cards were often unable to vote
because they could not find their assigned voting centers.</span></p>
<p style="margin:0in 0in 0pt;font-family:"times new
roman";font-size:12pt"><span
style="font-family:calibri;font-size:11pt"> </span></p>
<p style="margin:0in 0in 0pt;font-family:"times new
roman";font-size:12pt"><span
style="font-family:calibri;font-size:11pt">The Provisional
Electoral Council (CEP or KEP) provided no organized
assistance at most of the voting centers. The CEP/KEP phone
assistance lines were not working. The many members of the
electorate unable to vote complained that these actions had
been orchestrated by the CEP/KEP to deny them their right to
vote.</span></p>
<p style="margin:0in 0in 0pt;font-family:"times new
roman";font-size:12pt"><span
style="font-family:calibri;font-size:11pt"> </span></p>
<p style="margin:0in 0in 0pt;font-family:"times new
roman";font-size:12pt"><span
style="font-family:calibri;font-size:11pt">Despite voter
suppression, large numbers of Fanmi Lavalas supporters did
manage to go to the polls. In Cite Soleil/Site Soley alone
(17% of the national electorate), enough Lavalas supporters
voted for the election to have had a different result than
the preliminary result put forward by the CEP.</span></p>
<p style="margin:0in 0in 0pt;font-family:"times new
roman";font-size:12pt"><span
style="font-family:calibri;font-size:11pt"> </span></p>
<p style="margin:0in 0in 0pt;font-family:"times new
roman";font-size:12pt"><span
style="font-family:calibri;font-size:11pt">Thousands of
Haitians have been taking to the streets in daily massive
protests since 11/21/16, the day after the elections. They
are accusing the CEP/KEP of having organized an electoral
coup d’état in favor of Jovenel Moise, the PHTK party
candidate chosen by Duvalierist former president Martelly to
be his successor.</span></p>
<p style="margin:0in 0in 0pt;font-family:"times new
roman";font-size:12pt"><span
style="font-family:calibri;font-size:11pt"> </span></p>
<p style="margin:0in 0in 0pt;font-family:"times new
roman";font-size:12pt"><span
style="font-family:calibri;font-size:11pt">Dr. Maryse
Narcisse, Moise Jean-Charles and Jude Celestin have all
refused to accept the results and have officially contested
the results.</span></p>
<p style="margin:0in 0in 0pt;font-family:"times new
roman";font-size:12pt"><span
style="font-family:calibri;font-size:11pt"> </span></p>
<p style="margin:0in 0in 0pt;font-family:"times new
roman";font-size:12pt"><span
style="font-family:calibri;font-size:11pt">Three members of
the nine-member CEP refused to sign off on the preliminary
results.</span></p>
<p style="margin:0in 0in 0pt;font-family:"times new
roman";font-size:12pt"><span
style="font-family:calibri;font-size:11pt"> </span></p>
<p style="margin:0in 0in 0pt;font-family:"times new
roman";font-size:12pt"><span
style="font-family:calibri;font-size:11pt">Protests by the
grassroots are growing each day as more of these details
have surfaced. These protests are expected to continue in
the face of the CEP's giving Jovenel Moise a first-round win
at 55%.</span></p>
<p style="margin:0in 0in 0pt;font-family:"times new
roman";font-size:12pt"><span
style="font-family:calibri;font-size:11pt"> </span></p>
<p style="margin:0in 0in 0pt;font-family:"times new
roman";font-size:12pt"><span
style="font-family:calibri;font-size:11pt">Brutal police
repression against peaceful demonstrators has included the
use of tear gas, high-pressure liquid irritant, beatings,
shootings and arbitrary arrests. The <span tabindex="0"
class="gmail-aBn"><span class="gmail-aQJ">1:00 a.m.</span></span>
tear gas attack on 11/29/16 by UN trained and supervised
Haitian police against impoverished residents of the
Port-au-Prince neighborhood of Lasalin resulted in the death
of 3 babies with several people hospitalized.</span></p>
<div style="margin:0in 0in 0pt;font-family:"times new
roman";font-size:12pt"><span
style="font-family:calibri;font-size:11pt"> </span></div>
<div style="margin:0in 0in 0pt;font-family:"times new
roman";font-size:12pt"><span
style="font-family:calibri;font-size:11pt">Sent by Haiti
Action Committee</span></div>
<div style="margin:0in 0in 0pt;font-family:"times new
roman";font-size:12pt"><span
style="font-family:calibri;font-size:11pt">_________________________________________________<br>
</span>
<table class="text" border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0"
width="100%">
<tbody>
<tr>
<td>
<p class="title">EYEWITNESS REPORT - NOVEMBER 20TH
HAITI ELECTIONS by Pierre Labossiere</p>
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td class="text">
<p class="text"><font
face="arial,helvetica,sans-serif"><br>
<font size="-2"><a class="moz-txt-link-freetext" href="http://www.haitisolidarity.net/article.php?id=672">http://www.haitisolidarity.net/article.php?id=672</a></font><br>
</font></p>
<p class="text"><font
face="arial,helvetica,sans-serif">I was in Haiti
during the presidential and parliamentary
elections of November 20th and visited over 12
voting centers in several areas of Port-au-Prince.
A voting center is a school or similar facility
that houses from 20 to 50+ polling stations. On
the surface everything appeared calm since early
day concerns of physical violence did not
materialize. <br>
<br>
My observations of voting activities on the day of
the election, listed below, lead me to conclude
that there was organized voter suppression.
Eligible voters were kept from voting in many
different ways. The accumulation of different
planned tactics negatively impacted the number of
voters declared to have cast their ballots. The
voter suppression was particularly targeted at the
communities who have been at the forefront of
popular struggle and have been the backbone of
Fanmi Lavalas, the people’s party in Haiti. <br>
<br>
One of the major complaints targeted ONI, the only
agency designated to issue required voter ID
cards, as an estimated 2 million voters were
deprived of these cards. Voters who had ID cards
were often unable to vote because they could not
find their assigned voting centers. The
Provisional Electoral Council (CEP or KEP)
provided no organized assistance at most of the
voting centers. The CEP/KEP phone assistance lines
were not working. The many members of the
electorate unable to vote complained that these
actions had been orchestrated by the CEP/KEP to
deny them their right to vote.<br>
<br>
In spite of these voter suppression strategies,
large numbers of Fanmi Lavalas supporters did
manage to go to the polls. In Cite Soleil/Site
Soley alone (17% of the national electorate),
enough Lavalas supporters voted to compel the
Provisional Electoral Council (CEP/KEP) – which
was determined to deny a victory to Lavalas – to
resort to wholesale fraud rather than count the
votes fairly. <br>
<br>
There have been reports of uncounted, discarded
and burnt ballots marked for the other candidates
found in different areas of Haiti; claims of
ballot stuffing, and long unexplained delays for
the transfer of official tally sheets of
individual ballots from the polling stations to
the central tabulation center. Many of these tally
sheets are missing required authentication,
including voter signatures or fingerprints,
clearly indicative of fraud. A suspicious
countrywide electrical power outage occurred one
hour after the polls had closed, as votes were
being counted; the nearly 2-hour darkness raised
much alarm among a knowledgeable and vigilant
public fearing that similar to the 2015 elections,
a vote switching operation was under way.<br>
<br>
Thousands of Haitians have been taking to the
streets in daily massive protests since 11/21/16,
the day after the elections. They are accusing the
CEP/KEP of having organized an electoral coup
d'etat in favor of Jovenel Moise, the PHTK party
candidate chosen by Duvalierist former president
Martelly to be his successor.<br>
<br>
Protests by the grassroots are growing each day as
more of these details have surfaced. These
protests are expected to continue growing in the
face of the CEP's choice to violate its own
electoral law by giving Jovenel Moise a
first-round win at 55%.<br>
<br>
Brutal police repression against peaceful
demonstrators has included the use of tear gas,
high-pressure liquid irritant, beatings, shootings
and arbitrary arrests. The 1:00 a.m. tear gas
attack on 11/29/16 by UN trained and supervised
Haitian police against impoverished residents of
the Port-au-Prince neighborhood of Lasalin
resulted in the death of 3 babies with a number of
people hospitalized.<br>
<br>
Dr. Maryse Narcisse, the presidential candidate of
Fanmi Lavalas, is one of at least three candidates
officially contesting the election results. I urge
you to stand with the people in Haiti as they
refuse to accept this stolen election and fight
for their sovereignty and their right to vote.</font></p>
</td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
<br>
</div>
</div>
</div>
<br>
<div class="moz-signature">-- <br>
Freedom Archives
522 Valencia Street
San Francisco, CA 94110
415 863.9977
<a class="moz-txt-link-abbreviated" href="http://www.freedomarchives.org">www.freedomarchives.org</a>
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