VZCZCXRO7021
PP RUEHQU
DE RUEHPU #2246/01 3262005
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
P 222005Z NOV 06
FM AMEMBASSY PORT AU PRINCE
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 4638
INFO RUEHZH/HAITI COLLECTIVE PRIORITY
RUEHBR/AMEMBASSY BRASILIA PRIORITY 1294
RUEHSA/AMEMBASSY PRETORIA PRIORITY 1131
RUEHQU/AMCONSUL QUEBEC PRIORITY 0627
RUMIAAA/HQ USSOUTHCOM J2 MIAMI FL PRIORITY
RUCNDT/USMISSION USUN NEW YORK PRIORITY 1039

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 03 PORT AU PRINCE 002246 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SIPDIS 
 
STATE FOR WHA/EX AND WHA/CAR 
S/CRS 
SOUTHCOM ALSO FOR POLAD 
STATE PASS AID FOR LAC/CAR 
INR/IAA (BEN-YEHUDA) 
WHA/EX PLEASE PASS USOAS 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PGOV PREL HA
SUBJECT: HAITI ELECTIONS: ROLES OF THE NEWLY ELECTED 
 
REF: PORT AU PRINCE 900 
 
PORT AU PR 00002246  001.2 OF 003 
 
 
¶1. (U) Summary:  The December 3 election moves Haiti closer 
to the decentralized governmental structure outlined in the 
1987 constitution.  Haitians will vote for candidates for the 
communal section administrative councils (CASECs), communal 
section assemblies (ASECs), municipal councils and town 
delegations.  Three senate seats and 11 seats in the chamber 
of deputies are also up for election.  These elected bodies 
will later go on to select and send representatives to 
several non-elected councils and assemblies at higher levels 
of government.  With the local and municipal positions 
filled, Haiti should be better equipped to provide services 
to its citizens.  Increased government presence on a local 
level could theoretically bring much-needed services to more 
citizens and increase Haitians' feelings of inclusion in the 
democratic process.  However, budget shortfalls, lack of 
training and the absence of a clear mandate will continue to 
hamstring the newly-filled offices.  End Summary. 
 
¶2. (U) The Haitian constitution of 1987 partitions the 
country into three territorial divisions.  From smallest to 
largest, the divisions are: communal sections, of which there 
are 568; municipalities (sometimes referred to as communes), 
of which there are 140; and departments, of which there are 
ten.  All three territorial divisions have executive councils 
and legislative assemblies.  Lavalas partisans made up the 
majority of officials elected to communal section and 
municipal offices in 2000.  The opposition ran most of the 
Lavalasian officials out of office following the ouster of 
Jean-Bertrand Aristide in 2004, and the IGoH appointed 
replacements.  Candidates for these positions are only 
required to receive a relative majority in order to be 
elected; therefore, there need only be one round of these 
elections. 
 
-------------------------------- 
Communal Section: ASEC and CASEC 
-------------------------------- 
 
¶3. (U) Haiti is divided into 568 communal sections.  Each has 
its own "communal section administrative council" (CASEC), 
which consists of three members who run together on a single 
party slate.  CASEC members serve five-year terms and operate 
like local executive branches, overseeing rural areas that do 
not have a city government.  Responsibilities of the CASECs 
include management of public resources and execution of laws 
at the communal section level. 
 
¶4. (U) Each communal section also has a "communal section 
assembly" (ASEC), ranging from seven to 25 members and 
elected from party slates.  ASECs are on the same five-year 
election cycle as the CASECs and serve as the legislative 
body for rural areas.  Additional responsibilities of the 
ASECs include: overseeing the work of the corresponding 
CASEC; nominating Justices of the Peace; and selecting one 
representative to serve on the municipal assembly. 
 
--------------------------------------------- -------- 
Municipalities: Municipal Council and Town Delegation 
--------------------------------------------- -------- 
 
¶5. (U) Haiti's 140 municipalities each have two types of 
elected positions.  The first are the 3-member "municipal 
councils", of which the mayor is the principal official.  As 
with CASECs, three candidates run as a party slate, with one 
being designated as President of the council and serving as 
mayor.  Municipal councils serve five-year terms. 
Responsibilities of the municipal councils include: (1) 
management of state resources in the municipality (financial 
resources, property, buildings, public health centers, 
markets, roads, forests, municipal employees); (2) execution 
of laws, decrees and other measures that concern the 
municipality; (3) proposing a budget; (4) management of 
revenue and expenditures, including collection of certain tax 
revenue; and (5) ensuring the maintenance of public health. 
 
¶6. (U) Each municipality also has a "town delegation" made up 
of delegates elected from towns in the region.  Town 
delegations make up part of the municipal assemblies and are 
 
PORT AU PR 00002246  002.2 OF 003 
 
 
responsible for overseeing the work of the municipal council, 
including approving the council's budget, and selecting 
members to serve on the departmental councils. 
 
--------------------------------------------- --- 
Additional Races: Senate and Chamber of Deputies 
--------------------------------------------- --- 
 
¶7. (U) The December 3 election will also decide the fate of 
the three outstanding senate seats and 11 chamber of deputies 
contests that remained undecided following the April 21 
parliamentary elections (ref A). 
 
--------------------------------------------- ------------ 
Non-Elected Institutions to be Established Post Elections 
--------------------------------------------- ------------ 
 
¶8. (U) The formation of several other non-elected bodies 
hinges on the successful completion of these elections.  Each 
of the 140 municipalities will have a "municipal assembly" 
comprised of all of the town delegations in the municipality 
as well as one representative selected by each of the ASECs. 
The municipal assemblies also select one member each to serve 
on the departmental assemblies. 
 
¶9. (U) There are no elected positions at the departmental 
level, but the following non-elected institutions are 
required by Haiti's constitution, although they have yet to 
be established.  Each of Haiti's 10 departments has one 
"departmental assembly", comprised of one member selected 
from each municipal assembly.  In addition to being the 
legislative body at the department level, departmental 
assemblies elect and oversee the work of the departmental 
council, select a member to serve on the interdepartmental 
council, nominate certain judges and nominate candidates for 
the Permanent Electoral Council (see paragraph 12). 
 
¶10. (U)  The "departmental council" draws up the government's 
development plan in cooperation with the central government. 
The council is charged to manage its financial resources for 
the exclusive benefit of the department and renders its 
accounts to the departmental assembly. 
 
¶11. (U) The "interdepartmental council", in concert with the 
Executive, studies and plans projects for decentralization 
and development of the country from the social, economic, 
commercial, agricultural and industrial standpoint.  The 
interdepartmental council members have voting rights in the 
Council of Ministers on issues of development and 
decentralization. 
 
¶12. (U) The final nine members of the Permanent Electoral 
Council are chosen from among the nominees by all three 
branches of national government.  Because the departmental 
assemblies and councils have never been established, a 
Permanent Electoral Council has never been formed.  All 
elections to date have been overseen by a Provisional 
Electoral Council. 
 
------------------- 
Significant Changes 
------------------- 
 
¶13. (U) The December 3 elections pave the way for a return to 
norms outlined in the Haitian constitution.  The drafters of 
the 1987 constitution envisioned the decentralization of 
government as one of the pillars of the new Haiti.  The 
departmental and interdepartmental councils have large roles 
in planning this decentralization, and the lower level 
assemblies and councils are the mechanisms through which the 
country will execute these plans.  Rooted in Haitians' scorn 
for the Duvalier dictatorships, this multi-branch system of 
government has built-in checks and balances at every level. 
Ideally, this will reduce the corruption common among Haitian 
government officials.  Additionally, the new officials will 
be tasked with nominating judges for positions that have long 
gone unfilled, and the formation of the Permanent Electoral 
Council should lead to more regular elections. 
 
------------------------------- 
 
PORT AU PR 00002246  003.2 OF 003 
 
 
Unresolved and Chronic Problems 
------------------------------- 
 
¶14. (U) Haitian government at the local and regional level 
has for a long time been confronted with a lack of financial, 
technical and human resources.  Locally elected officials and 
municipal employees rarely have a clear idea of their 
prerogatives, don't receive adequate training and aren't 
fully aware of the means of operation at their disposal. 
This general lack of resources, organization and basic 
information impedes the local governments from assuming the 
administrative, technical and financial autonomy granted to 
them under the constitution of 1987. 
 
¶15. (U) The local and municipal elections on December 3 will 
result in about 10,000 elected officials, all of whom would 
expect a government supported salary as well as associated 
benefits.  The GoH is already unable to pay salaries of 
currently employed civil servants and will not be able to pay 
all of the newly elected officials.  As has been the case 
with recently elected members of parliament, the lack of pay 
will probably distract local and municipal officials from 
their duties and lessen their effectiveness. 
SANDERSON