The Bureau des Avocats Internationaux(BAI) announced the launch of the electoral pact (Pak Elektoral) to support voters to support democracy in Haiti.

According to Me Mario Joseph of the BAI, "the electoral pact could change the culture of the relationship between candidates and voters after the elections." Me Joseph invites other organizations "to use the Pact to engage the candidates to the relevant human right questions,including the rights to health and education."

The necessity of Electoral pact is clear to Me Joseph "It is said in Haiti that the candidates visit the provinces once during their election campaign. We can not see them after they are elected. The electoral pact is simple; it asks candidates to return to their communities after the elections in order to engage with citizens; to respect human rights of the people, especially the right of children to go to school and the right to health care."

The Electoral Pact was created through the Civic Engagement Program (CEP / IJDH-BAI) (Pwogram angajman Sivik) of BAI, an initiative that uses the ability of poor communities to create lasting change in the perspective of enforcing their human rights.

With the Civic Engagement Program (CEP), lawyers of BAI train members of the community in the defense of human rights. With this knowledge, these community members are conducting meetings and workshops in their communities to analyze the conditions of their fundamental rights and to develop strategies to claim their rights and those of children. Currently the program is in its first phase and effective in four communes: Saut d’Eau, Bouccan Carré, La Chappelle et Mirebalais.

Me Joseph says that "through the work of the PEC communities, several candidates have already ratified the Pact. We ask the other organizations to join our project and sign the Pact with candidates to encourage them to work with their community for the strengthening of human rights, a foundation upon which is based the law and democracy."

Download the electoral pact : https://www.haitilibre.com/docs/Pak-Elektoral.pdf

HL/ HaitiLibre