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PP RUEHQU
DE RUEHPU #2277/01 3331850
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
P 291850Z NOV 06
FM AMEMBASSY PORT AU PRINCE
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 4678
INFO RUEHZH/HAITI COLLECTIVE PRIORITY
RUEHBR/AMEMBASSY BRASILIA PRIORITY 1301
RUEHSA/AMEMBASSY PRETORIA PRIORITY 1136
RUEHQU/AMCONSUL QUEBEC PRIORITY 0632
RUCNDT/USMISSION USUN NEW YORK PRIORITY 1046
RUMIAAA/HQ USSOUTHCOM J2 MIAMI FL PRIORITY

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 PORT AU PRINCE 002277 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SIPDIS 
 
STATE FOR WHA/CAR 
S/CRS 
SOUTHCOM ALSO FOR POLAD 
STATE PASS TO USAID FOR LAC/CAR 
INR/IAA (BEN-YEHUDA) 
WHA/EX PLEASE PASS OAS 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PREL PGOV KDEM HA
SUBJECT: HAITI'S LOCAL ELECTIONS ON TRACK FOR DECEMBER 3 
 
REF: A. PORT AU PRINCE 2273 
     ¶B. PORT AU PRINCE 2171 
     ¶C. PORT AU PRINCE 2105 
 
PORT AU PR 00002277  001.2 OF 002 
 
 
¶1.  Summary: The Provisional Electoral Council (CEP) and 
representatives of the UN mission to Haiti (Minustah) 
reported that elections preparations are in the final stages, 
with no unscheduled loose ends remaining.  In preparation for 
post-electoral disputes, Director General of the CEP Jacques 
Bernard has dispatched 200 lawyers to the 140 communal 
electoral bureaus in order to absorb and process 
post-electoral complaints.  Minustah and CEP representatives 
admitted there is potential for unrest among electoral 
workers who were not re-hired for the third round, but 
security plans are in place and those involved have 
confidence in the system that worked so well during rounds 
one and two. Both the Prime Minister and Bernard have 
publicly assured voters that everything is prepared for their 
December 3 participation. Following the elections, the GoH 
will need to determine both budgets and salaries for the new 
hires, as well as review the entire elections structure, 
which could cost as much as USD 183 million over the next 
five years, according to an estimate by representatives of 
the Organization of American States (OAS) in Haiti. End 
summary. 
 
¶2.  CEP and Minustah have finalized all preparations for 
Haiti's local elections on December 3, according to reports 
presented at the final elections meeting November 24. The CEP 
announced that the 822 voting centers (which house the 9231 
voting bureaus) are complete, with the exception of three in 
Martissant which will be moved to the outer boundaries of the 
southern neighborhood/slum of Port-au-Prince. The CEP has 
completed electoral lists (which have not changed since the 
first round in February of this year), ballots, tally sheets, 
and training of poll workers. The materials which have not 
already arrived at the voting centers, including sensitive 
and non-sensitive materials, will arrive at their final 
destination this week. Bernard has issued an emergency 
response system to respond to last minute issues that arise 
nation-wide during this final week before elections. 
 
Post Electoral Contestations 
- - - - - - - - - - 
¶3.  CEP Director General Jacques Bernard is concerned about 
the potential for disputes following the elections. Claude 
Parent (head of Elections Canada, which sent six electoral 
experts to assist at the CEP) agrees. "Haitians are poor 
losers," he said, "Bernard is right to expect that there will 
be numerous disputes after the results are released." With 
roughly 29,000 candidates and 9,000 positions to be filled, 
the potential for post-electoral contestations is 
significant. In preparation, Bernard hired 800 lawyers, 200 
of whom will be based at the 140 communal electoral bureaus, 
to both advise and allay those contesting the results. 
Bernard estimates that the vote count will be complete five 
to seven days after the elections. However, he expects that 
contestations could keep the CEP from releasing final results 
until mid-January. 
 
¶4.  Note: Felix Ortega and Gaston Aid of the Organization of 
American States (OAS), told poloff that the number of 
disputes that would make it to a national level and slow down 
the vote count was quite small. They agreed that some voters 
may dispute the results on a municipal (communal) level, but 
did not think that the disputers would have the capacity -- 
including sufficient evidence and patience -- to take their 
contestations to a national level. End note. 
 
Minor Protests by Former Electoral Workers 
- - - - - - - - - - 
¶5.  Minustah and the CEP reported a small number of protests 
by former poll workers and electoral guards whom the CEP did 
not re-hire for the third and final round of elections.  In 
order to meet budget demands, the CEP re-hired only 3000 of 
4000 electoral guards and a number of poll-workers were not 
re-hired for bureaucratic reasons.  The two groups are prone 
to protest and could possibly cause unrest on election day. 
 
Security Plans Prepared 
 
PORT AU PR 00002277  002.2 OF 002 
 
 
- - - - - - - - - - 
¶6.  According to Neil Warriner, head of elections security at 
Minustah, the security procedures will be very similar to the 
one implemented during the past two rounds.  Minustah has 
identified 112 "hot zones," which will have an increased 
number of security officers.  As occurred during the first 
and second round of elections, the security team in one area 
can include any combination of the following: Minustah 
troops, UN police officers, Haitian National Police (HNP) 
officers and electoral security guards.  Warriner reminded 
poloff that the cooperation between the UN officers and HNP 
has so far been strong on election days, even if this is not 
the case on an everyday basis. 
 
Bernard and PM Alexis in the News 
- - - - - - - - - - 
¶7.  Prime Minister Jacques Edouard Alexis called on the 
Haitians to go to the polls on December 3 and both Bernard 
and Minustah have announced publicly that the December 3 
elections are on schedule.  As far as local campaigns, there 
has been very little information in the local news, although 
post notes campaign posters visible throughout 
Port-au-Prince.  The primary themes for the elections are 
basic state responsibilities -- potable water, electricity, 
clean streets, timely government paychecks -- and lack of 
security, especially since the brutal murder of a young 
university student (ref A).  Despite an increase in 
demonstrations in Port-au-Prince, only a few are 
elections-related, with most calling for the departure of 
Minustah and an increased GoH response to insecurity. 
 
Post-Electoral Concerns 
- - - - - - - - - - 
¶8.  Felix Ortega of OAS said that the entire structure put in 
place by these local elections is very expensive: he 
estimates it will cost USD 26 million for FY07, which 
included only the cost of salaries and a very minimal 
operations budget.  (Note: The FY07 budget includes 
approximately USD 20 million for decentralization, some of 
which will go to local governance.  However, this does not 
include the budget for salaries of local officials. End 
note.)  Also, Ortega calculated that it will cost the GoH USD 
183 million to hold all of the constitutionally required 
elections -- including local, municipal, departmental and 
national -- over the next five years, beginning with senate 
elections next year and ending with the presidential election 
in 2011. 
 
¶9.  Comment: After ten months, this elections season will 
finally come to a close, and with relative success.  The GoH 
has fulfilled its promise to re-introduce local government 
into Haiti's political scene.  Its next challenge is to 
support and fund local government, and to find a way to 
continue to carry out this promise in years to come. 
SANDERSON