Protocol for Monitoring the Haitian Elections

1. The objective of the International Mission for Monitoring Haitian Elections (IMMHE) is to provide the Conseil électoral provisoire (CEP), political entities, civil society, Haitian voters and the international community with neutral and impartial assessments, evaluations, and observations on the Haitian electoral process intended to support the building of democratic institutions in that country. In achieving this objective the Mission will employ a wide array of review and monitoring techniques both off-site by electoral experts and on-site in Haiti by specialists who will meet and make links with the CEP, government, political entities, and Haitian election monitors as well as other international groups and organizations.
    
2. The IMMHE is established for the purposes of the Haitian election cycle as described in the Constitution and the Electoral Law of February 3, 2005. The electoral events within its mandate will include municipal elections (October 9, 2005); first round parliamentary and presidential elections (November 13, 2005); and second round parliamentary and presidential, if necessary (December 18, 2005). The mandate of the Mission will be refined in light of conditions on the ground as well as the outcomes of the October elections. This Mission may serve as a model for other elections involving the United Nations.
    
3. The IMMHE's areas of focus will include the legal framework; registration of voters; electoral preparations; voter information and education; equitable access to media; certification of political parties, coalitions and candidates; pre-polling complaint procedures; polling [i.e. voting on election day]; vote counting and compilation of results; post-election complaints; infractions and enforcement; the enabling environment; drawing of electoral district boundaries; funding of campaign and use of public resources; and the exercise of fundamental freedoms.
    
4. The IMMHE will be led by a Steering Committee composed of independent chief electoral officers and electoral commissioners or their nominees. The Steering Committee will select a chair. The policies of the IMMHE will be governed by its Steering Committee and its leadership. It will adopt a code of ethics to govern the behavior of its representatives. The IMMHE will be able to receive bilateral contributions of human and financial resources. A secretariat will be established to coordinate the activities of the Steering Committee.
    
5. The Steering Committee remains open to extending its membership throughout its existence. Other appropriate organizations, such as the Inter-American Union of Electoral Institutions, can be alerted to opportunities to participate in the activities of the Mission throughout the election cycle.
    
6. The IMMHE will be supported by a core team of electoral experts in Haiti, which will make regular reports to the Steering Committee.

Accepted by the Members of the Steering Committee at Montréal

June 17, 2005