Statement by Jean-Pierre Kingsley, Chair of the International Mission for Monitoring Haitian Elections (IMMHE)

February 17, 2006

The International Mission for Monitoring Haitian Elections (IMMHE) stands by its declaration of February 9, 2006, regarding the elections of February 7. That statement, which is posted on the IMMHE Web site at www.mieeh-immhe.ca, clearly referred to the events on election day, when Haitian voters turned out in massive numbers and the vote was carried out with no violence or intimidation, and no accusations of fraud. Therefore, the Canadian government and the international community were justified in commending the elections in Haiti and, in particular, the participation of the Haitian people.

Our positive comments were echoed by other international electoral observation missions, including IFES and the European Union.

When our statement was issued, we made it clear that it was based on our findings to that date. We noted that we were continuing to observe the ongoing tabulation of ballots and were planning to follow the complaints process and dispute resolution procedures, which would be the subject of a follow-up report. The deteriorating situation that then ensued in the country resulted in the temporary suspension of our post-election monitoring. We have since resumed our observation.

It is important to recognize that the role of the IMMHE is to observe the elections, not to involve itself in their delivery. Its members, including the long-term observers who have been on the ground in Haiti since August of last year and the 106 Canadians who, together with observers from Japan and the CARICOM countries, were in Haiti from February 4-10 of this year, were equipped with extensive training and tools and were there to monitor the process. Their immense dedication, in what have often been dangerous conditions, must also be commended.

In keeping with our initial plans, the IMMHE will continue to observe the vote tabulation and the handling of complaints. Once our observations are complete, we will issue a public report that will be available on the IMMHE Web site, as we did for polling day.