VZCZCXRO8862
OO RUEHQU
DE RUEHPU #0927/01 3081401
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
O 041401Z NOV 09 ZDK
FM AMEMBASSY PORT AU PRINCE
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 0497
INFO RUEHZH/HAITI COLLECTIVE
RUEHBR/AMEMBASSY BRASILIA 2410
RUEHMN/AMEMBASSY MONTEVIDEO 0446
RUEHSA/AMEMBASSY PRETORIA 2121
RUEHMT/AMCONSUL MONTREAL 0426
RUEHQU/AMCONSUL QUEBEC 1487
RUEATRS/DEPT OF TREASURY WASHDC
RUCOWCV/CCGDSEVEN MIAMI FL
RUMIAAA/HQ USSOUTHCOM J2 MIAMI FL

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 PORT AU PRINCE 000927 
 
SENSITIVE 
SIPDIS 
 
STATE FOR S, C, WHA/CAR, DRL, S/CRS, 
INL FOR KEVIN BROWN, HEATHER WILD AND MEAGAN MCBRIDE 
INR/IAA 
SOUTHCOM ALSO FOR POLAD 
STATE PASS AID FOR LAC/CAR 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PGOV PREL KAID PINR HA
SUBJECT: US AND CANADA UNDERLINE INCLUSIVITY WITH NEW 
PROVISIONAL ELECTORAL COUNCIL 
 
PORT AU PR 00000927  001.2 OF 002 
 
 
¶1. (SBU) SUMMARY. President Preval replaced four members of 
the Provisional Electoral Council, including the president 
and vice-president, by sidelining political parties and 
reaching out instead to the voodoo sector and communal 
leaders.  In a joint meeting with the CEP on November 3, 
Charge and Canadian Ambassador stressed the necessity of fair 
and inclusive elections. END SUMMARY. 
 
¶2. (U) On October 16, President Preval appointed four new 
members of the Provisional Electoral Council (CEP) replacing 
the controversial president (Frantz Verret) and 
vice-president (Rodol Pierre).  The voodoo sector and the 
Federation of CASECS (Communal Section Administrative 
Councils) was each given a representative on the CEP.  The 
Catholic Church and the Council of Political Parties each 
replaced its representative on the CEP.  Five counselors 
retained their positions, including Ginette Cherubin, a 
former Minister of Women,s Affairs, who is regarded as a 
trusted ally of President Preval. 
 
¶3. (U) In response to the opposition parties call for a 
replacement of the entire CEP, Preval decided to exclude the 
Convention of Political Parties from the CEP, and replaced 
them with a representative from the Federation of CASECS 
(communal leaders). 
 
¶4. (U) The new members are: 
 
-- Jean Theleve Pierre Toussaint, representative of the 
Federation of CASECS.  Toussaint takes the seat of the 
Convention of Political Parties representative.  He is a 
lawyer by training, but served as an administrator at the 
Ministry of Education most recently. 
-- Ribel Pierre, representative of the Council of Political 
Parties (another group of opposition parties).  The group 
changed its representative, citing the previous CEP's lack of 
legitimacy.  Pierre represents the Christian Democrat Party 
(PDCH), which is very popular in the Center and Artibonite 
Departments. 
-- Antenor Guerrier, representative of the voodoo sector. 
Guerrier is a voodoo priest and studied accounting in 
Florida. 
-- Jean Enel Desir, representative of the Catholic Church. 
Desir replaces Frantz Verret, whom the Catholic Church 
decided to change following the controversies linked to 
allegations of fraud during the senatorial elections. 
Opposition parties saw Verret as a Preval crony, and had 
demanded his removal. 
 
¶5. (U) Gaillot Dorsinvil (representative of the handicapped 
sector and member of the previous CEP) and Pierre Toussaint 
(above) respectively become president and vice-president of 
the Council. 
 
¶6. (SBU) On November 3, Charge and the Canadian Ambassador, 
accompanied by their respective political counselors, paid a 
courtesy call on the new Provisional Electoral Council.  The 
joint visit was done to add emphasis to the message that the 
USG and Canada are interested in ensuring that next 
parliamentary elections are not postponed, are inclusive of 
all parties, and are free and fair.  The Canadian Ambassador 
raised vetting of candidates, asking that it be more 
transparent and rigorous.  The US and Canada are, with the 
EU, historically the largest donors to elections. 
 
¶7. (SBU) All but one of the Council members were present for 
the meeting.  Gaillot Dorsinvil and Laurette Croyrance (both 
holdovers from the previous CEP) were quick to comment on the 
''inclusivity'' request, launching into a spirited defense of 
the CEP's actions in excluding the Fanmi Lavalas party in the 
last elections, while indicating they hoped to see Lavalas in 
the next election cycle.  Secretary General Leonel Raphael 
(also a holdover) suggested that he had heard that the two 
Lavalas factions were moving to patch up their differences, 
which would make it easy for the Council to accept their 
proposed candidates. 
 
PORT AU PR 00000927  002.2 OF 002 
 
 
 
¶8. (SBU) The Commission's Staff Director said that elections 
were likely to be held 7 February 2010, with runoffs on March 
23 and investiture on April 29 (all realized that this was a 
very tight timeline, especially in a Haitian context).  He 
estimated the overall cost at USD 25 million, and said he 
understood that the Government of Haiti had USD 7 million 
allocated.  Both Charge and the Canadian Ambassador stressed 
that donor support for elections would be dependent to a 
large extent on the credibility the CEP brings to the 
process. 
 
¶6. (SBU) COMMENT: The consensus among international observers 
as well as opposition parties is that Preval will continue to 
have significant influence on the CEP.  Both Dorsinvil and 
Toussaint are unlikely to assert themselves independently of 
the Executive.  Preval's inclusion of the CASECS (who had 
regularly expressed their disappointment for being ignored by 
the President and had threatened to boycott the elections) 
and the voodoo sector further reinforces his access in rural 
areas.  We believe most political parties are likely to 
participate in upcoming elections, despite boycott threats, 
but international community pressure will be vital to 
ensuring fair and inclusive elections. 
LINDWALL