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O 121739Z MAY 09
FM AMEMBASSY PORT AU PRINCE
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 9912
INFO RUEHZH/HAITI COLLECTIVE
RUEHBR/AMEMBASSY BRASILIA 2305
RUEHMN/AMEMBASSY MONTEVIDEO 0375
RUEHSA/AMEMBASSY PRETORIA 2039
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C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 PORT AU PRINCE 000475 
 
SIPDIS 
 
STATE FOR WHA/CAR, DRL, S/CRS, INR/IAA 
SOUTHCOM ALSO FOR POLAD 
STATE PASS AID FOR LAC/CAR 
TREASURY FOR MAUREEN WAFER 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 02/02/2019 
TAGS: PGOV PREL PHUM KCRM SNAR HA
SUBJECT: HAITI: PRESIDENT PREVAL ON ELECTIONS, CONSTITUTIONAL CHANGE
 
PORT AU PR 00000475  001.2 OF 002 
 
Classified By: Ambassador Janet A. Sanderson. Reason: E.O. 12958 1.4 (b), (d)

 
Summary 
------- 
 
¶1. (C) President Preval says that the April 19 Senate 
elections were well organized.  He claims to have expected 
the low turnout, but admitted that the Fanmis Lavalas 
boycott, associated threats, and the ban on public 
transportation deterred many voters.  The President was 
pleased at the strong showing of Lespwa candidates and the 
weak showing of supporters of Senator Yourie Latortue, and 
conceded that this election was already setting the stage for 
the Presidential contest in 2010-2011.  He doubted Haiti 
would be able to hold the next round of legislative elections 
by the end of this year.  Preval stated that constitutional 
reform should proceed in small steps, first addressing double 
nationality and the balance of power between the legislative 
and executive branches.  The President also asked for help in 
obtaining evidence to prosecute Fourel Celestin, an associate 
of former President Aristide whom the U.S. deported to Haiti 
April 30 after serving a drug sentence.  End summary. 
 
Senatorial Elections 
-------------------- 
 
¶2. (C) The Ambassador called on President Preval May 4 to 
discuss recent Senatorial elections and plans to amend the 
constitution.  The President said the April 19 Senate 
elections had gone well and were well organized -- especially 
considering conditions in Haiti.  He claimed not to have 
expected a turnout higher than 12-15 percent.  Preval's main 
concern, he said, was preserving unity within the Provisional 
Electoral Council (CEP), Haiti's election authority, since 
councilors in this body came from varying political 
constituencies. 
 
¶3. (C) The President conceded that in future elections, 
including the upcoming second round, public transportation 
should be allowed to operate and that voters should be given 
more accurate information about the location of their polling 
places.  Preval said he wanted the re-run of first-round 
voting in the Center Department (Note:  where the voting was 
halted due to violence - End Note) held before the June 7 
runoff elections so that there would be a single set of 
runoffs nationwide.  (Note:  the runoff will almost certainly 
be postponed.  See septel.  End note.)  However, judicial 
investigations into the violence in the Center Department 
must run their course.  Ensuring the ''rule of law'' and 
making sure that violators -- Preval mentioned the UCADDE 
candidate in the Center Department Willot Joseph -- did not 
enjoy impunity was more important than the election itself. 
 
¶4. (C) Preval brought up the dispute over the result in the 
North Department, in which Lespwa candidate Jean Charles 
Moise claimed he had won a first-round absolute majority, 
although the initial results gave him 49.49 percent.  Preval 
said that blank votes had been counted incorrectly in this 
case.  (Note:  the CEP has since awarded Moise just over 50 
percent of the vote, making him the only candidate to avoid a 
runoff - septel.  End note.)  Preval admitted that the Fanmi 
Lavalas ''Closed Door'' boycott campaign as well as the 
circulation of leaflets threatening voters with physical harm 
had kept many in the West Department (which includes 
Port-au-Prince) at home.  Many others had voted ''no 
candidate.'' Preval claimed, unconvincingly, that this proved 
that Fanmi Lavalas was not strong in the Port-au-Prince 
slums. 
 
¶5. (C) Asked about the political result of the elections, 
Preval expressed satisfaction with the good results for 
Lespwa.  He was also pleased that candidates of Senator 
Yourie Latortue's ''Haiti in Action'' party had fared poorly. 
 (Note: they finished lower than second in four departments. 
Only one, in Latortue's stronghold of the Artibonite 
Department, came in second to qualify for the runoff.  End 
note.)  The President was confident that the losers would not 
find the votes in the Senate to block newly-elected Senators 
from being seated.  He agreed with the Ambassador that many 
candidates viewed this election as a platform to position 
themselves for the 2010 Presidential elections. 
 
¶6. (C) Preval then said it was time to ''reflect'' on next 
steps.  He expressed doubt that Haiti could hold the next set 
of legislative elections in November, only four months after 
the new Senators take their seats in July.  Haiti, he said, 
must respect the constitution while also preserving stability. 
 
Amending the Constitution 
------------------------- 
 
¶7. (C) Asked about his efforts to amend the constitution, 
Preval said this was a delicate process.  He hoped to dispel 
the widespread suspicion that his ulterior motive was to 
allow himself a third term.  Preval declared that he would 
pursue constitutional reform by way of ''small adjustments.'' 
 The first steps would be to address dual nationality, 
prohibited under the current constitution, and balance the 
powers of the legislative and executive branches.  He pointed 
out that under the current constitution, a mere 9 Senators 
can override a Presidential veto.  The President appoints but 
cannot dismiss the Prime Minister. 
 
Crime Issues 
------------ 
 
¶8. (C) He also asked that the U.S. provide evidence to help 
Haiti build a case against Fourel Celestin, whom the U.S. 
deported to Haiti April 30 after he served a sentence for 
drug trafficking.  (Note:  Celestin was President of the 
Senate and Director General of the Haitian National Police at 
various times during the Presidency of Jean Bertrand 
Aristide.  End note.)  Preval declared that Celestin must be 
tried in Haiti.  He hoped the U.S. could tell Haiti who in 
the Haitian National Police had helped Celestin in his 
narcotics transactions.  Authorities could not detain 
Celestin indefinitely. Preval said that the release of 
Celestin -- and others the U.S. might deport soon, such as 
former HNP Chief Jean Nesly Lucien and former Presidential 
security chief Oriel Jean -- would be ''catastrophic.'' 
(Note:  Preval against raised this along the fringes of his 
meeting with Codel Hirono and in a subsequent call to the 
Ambassador.  End note) 
 
Comment 
------- 
 
¶9. (C) Preval tried to put the best face on an election that 
saw very low turnout in the capital, sporadic violence, and a 
boycott by a significant party which had all its candidates 
disqualified by the election authority.  These were Preval's 
first remarks to the Embassy that he views Artibonite Senator 
Youri Latortue -- whose Presidential ambitions are thinly 
veiled -- as a political threat.  He gave no indication of 
concern about accusations that Lespwa candidates received 
under-the-table financial and logistical campaign support 
from the government.  This was also the first indication from 
Preval that he supports gradual amendment of the 
constitution, not drafting a brand new one. 
SANDERSON