Haitian Election: Hamas Redux for Bush?

PEJ News - C . L. Cook - There has been death on both sides of the Haitian political divide, (the most gruesome the mobbing of a policeman who shot dead a queued voter), but early accounts report a mainly peaceful poll, if complicated by gross partisan gerrymandering by the ruling Pretenders in Port au Prince. Early returns look like the ascension of populist Jean Bertrand Aristide pal, Rene Preval to the nation's presidential office; but, the next hours will tell which course Haitian democracy takes.

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Haitian Election: Hamas Redux for Bush?
C. L. Cook

PEJ News
February 8, 2006

Over-shadowed by most accounts of Haitians returning to the poll following a two year period of political chaos is the fact: Haiti had a perfectly functioning electoral process two years ago. Their president enjoyed greater public support, in terms of total percentage, than any democratically elected counterpart in the world. The problem? Jean Bertrand Aristide wasn't the "right man" to do the bidding of Haiti's wafer thin elite, and their international friends in business.

On the night of February 29, 2004, the president was "rescued" by elite U.S. military and "security" personnel, whisked for his own safety across the Atlantic, to then find himself held incommunicado at a villa in the Central African Republic (CAR).

In a plot later found to be hatched by a tripartite collusion between elements within the U.S., French, and Canadian governments, a group of terrorists and murderous thugs, well employed during Haiti's dark pre-Democracy period, were again placed in power, supported by "police" from the conspirator nations, aided by an United Nations imprimatur, augmented by troops from Jordan and neighbouring Brazil.

The results have been political arrests, the curtailment and harrassment of the press, terrorizing of perceived supporters of the ousted Aristide, and an increasingly bitter and militant population.

And of course, lots of death.

After repeated postponements of this election, and the Florida-like disenfranchisement tricks, it's almost inconceivable that the same men representing the interests that went to the trouble of ridding the country of Aristide, a man professing the greater good of the poor majorities, introducing education, health care, and moving toward liveable wages and the end of the slavish conditions of Haiti's labour force, only to see him replaced two years later by a politcal protege.

The United Nations is reported to have grabbed election results from remote villages, and will deliver them to the capital for tabulation. As of late Wednesday pst, no results are official, suggesting either the total vote tally hasn't reached the mandated 20% needed before announcements can be made, or the regime is stalling the count while conferring with its foreign patrons.

The next few hours are literally a matter of what kind of life, or death Haiti's democracy will embrace.



Chris Cook is a contributing editor to PEJ News, and hosts Gorilla Radio, a weekly public affairs program, broad/webcast from the University of Victoria, Canada.

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