The government of President Rene Preval and its Provisional Electoral Council (CEP) prevented many candidates, political parties from taking part in the Nov. 28 Haitian elections, including philanthropist Wyclef Jean, and popular party Fanmi Lavalas of former President Jean-Bertrand Aristide. Ironically, his administration seems currently engaged in a desperate battle for survival, some last grand stand to keep his party INITE, protégé Jude Celestin and himself relevant given the Organizations of American States’ (OEA) recommendation to exclude Celestin in the second round of the disputed elections.
As Preval’s incumbency nears its inevitable end, his popularity ratings plunge further south and calls for his departure, a favorable tune among increasingly dissatisfied citizens, grow louder. The outright rejection of recent election results that erupted into violent protests compelled foreign observers to propose a recount, an attempt to salvage poorly orchestrated presidential and parliamentary elections and to arrive at some sensible compromise. Preval agreed to give unfettered access to the OEA and to accept their conclusions as a practical solution, yet after nearly a month since the OEA presented him the results, he has remained silent while his aides echoed his disappointment and possible rejection of the recommendations.
After a lengthy recount process, the OEA concurred Mirlande Manigat came in first, Michel “Sweet Micky,” second and Preval’s protégé Celestin, third but trailed Martelly by a narrow margin. Contrarily to the CPE’s previous results that put Celestin ahead of Martelly, OEA experts recommended a run off with Manigat and Martelly.
OEA’s official results:
Meanwhile, Duvalier’s sudden appearance in earthquake ravaged Haiti ending his 25-year exile baffled nationalists and foreigners alike and further destabilized Haiti’s fragile political environment. The 59-year-old dictator– reasoned observers– could not elude detection without the help of some influential hands. In fact, many political pundits insisted this move, an elaborated scheme, had Preval’s prints all over it; not only as a possible deflection to pointed criticisms of his failed administration, but also as a buffer to his defiant rejection of OEA’s recommendations.
Since the interjection of this foreign element into the mix, people no longer talked about fraudulent elections, rebuilding efforts, cholera epidemics, the second round or even the candidates. Instead, Duvalier’s theatrical performance reframed the national debate while Preval subtly cried checkmate; the CEP’s election results viewed preferably. These announcements, barely heard over the manufactured political vacuüm, signaled Preval’s resolve to keep his party alive through Celestin and possibly avoid exile at the end of his tenure next month.
As a result, many people looked to the coalition of candidates to charge the public sphere denouncing the latest political malice, but to no avail. Their uncharacteristic silence might be indicative of Duvalier’s chilling effect reverberating through their rebellious wills or simply that the media has completely forgotten their existence. Meanwhile, confusion and uncertainty engulfed, yet again, the fate of the Haitian people.
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