Haiti’s Ambassador to the Bahamas, Jean Victor Généus, is calling on the United States and the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) to send observers to monitor the October 9 elections in his country.
He is warning that the social, political and economic stability of Haiti is based on the results of the upcoming presidential elections that have already been postponed on several occasions in the past.
”If we don’t want to continue in this political mess…we have to do our best to have clean, transparent and democratic elections because there is a cost,” he said, adding “if we don’t solve this problem then we are going to go deeper, deeper into a very volatile, explosive political situation and the consequence is that the Bahamas will receive more refugees.
“That’s why we think it’s very important that our neighbours, Cuba, Bahamas, the US, be informed about what we want to do and also we welcome their support.
“We want them to send observers to see for themselves that what is being done is in conformity with the legal process. Observers not only from CARICOM but also local organisations,” he added.
On Thursday, the Permanent Council of the Organization of American States (OAS) called on all Haitian political and social actors to fully “assume their responsibilities and take all necessary measures to conclude the electoral process by holding free, fair and transparent elections on October 9.”
Haiti has been without a permanent head of state after Michel Martelly left in February without a successor being elected.
Although an election was scheduled for April 24 as stipulated in the February 5 political accord to transfer power from the caretaker government to an elected one, bickering and other concerns meant that Haiti could not hold the polls despite mounting pressure from the international community for the French-speaking CARICOM country to have an elected president in office by May 14.
