Published: October 19, 2005
Haiti Urged To Stick to Elections Schedule
By Judy Aita, Washington File 
U.S. Under Secretary Burns meets Haitian prime minister
United Nations -- The United States wants Haitian officials to work with much greater speed and efficiency in organizing general elections now scheduled for November, U.S. Under Secretary of State Nicholas Burns said October 18.
Speaking with journalists after meeting with Haitian interim Prime Minister Gerard Latortue, Burns said that "the message from my government to the Haitian government is that they need to work with much greater speed and much greater efficiency in organizing these elections."
"They are very important elections for the Haitian people and, frankly, the organization of the elections to date has not been sufficient," the under secretary said.
"Our sense is the elections can no longer be postponed," Burns said.
"There have been so many postponements, so many delays in some of the major organizing efforts that, frankly, everything must go right every day for these elections to be held in an efficient and fair way," he said.
Elections for president and parliament, which will be supervised by the United Nations, were originally scheduled for October and then postponed to November 20.
Local and municipal elections are planned for December 11 and a second round of legislative and presidential elections in Haiti is tentatively scheduled to take place in January 2006. The United States is providing $15 million to support Haiti's upcoming elections; in 2004, it provided $8.7 million to support Haiti's electoral process. (See related article.)
U.N. SECURITY COUNCIL ISSUES STATEMENT
Also on October 18, the Security Council emphasized the importance of Haiti holding the elections in 2005.
In a formal presidential statement, the council urged Haitian authorities to undertake a series of measures to ensure that the elections are held. Specifically, the council urged Haitian authorities to work with the U.N. Stabilization Mission in Haiti (MINUSTAH) to develop a phased electoral plan as a matter of priority, publish the final list of candidates for the elections, and agree on a list of voting centers.
Reading the statement on behalf of the 15 members, Council President Gheorghe Dumitru of Romania said, "Haiti is at a critical juncture. While ultimately, the responsibility for Haiti's future lies with its government and people, the international community must continue to provide support.
"National reconciliation and political dialogue should continue to be promoted as a means to ensure long-term stability and good governance," Dumitru said.
Burns said that during his meeting with the Haitian prime minister, Latortue said that he had appointed a new, experienced director of elections who could set up polling centers and get ballots printed.
The under secretary said that with close to 3 million people already registered, registration was not the problem. "What we're talking about is the administration of the elections," he said.
Latortue said that more than 40 political parties and 30 presidential candidates have registered for the vote and promised that the transfer of power would take place on February 7, 2006, in accordance with the Haitian Constitution.
"I recognize the right of people who don't know about Haiti to believe it might not be the case," the prime minister told journalists after the council meeting, "this is a personal opinion, but I give you the guarantee it (the election) will take place."
Source: U.S. Department of State
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