The Election Observation Mission (EOM) of the Organization of American States (OAS) will deploy again an international observer mission in Haiti during the next elections (at the request of the Haitian Government), with financial support of United States.

In a 15-page report released Tuesday, the EOM/OAS, in addition to findings on the elections of 2015 and on the Independent Electoral Evaluation and Verification Commission (CIEVE), made a series of recommendations for the elections of October 2016 and the post-electoral period.

Recommendations of the EOM/OAS for elections day :

• The OAS/EOM recommends that the CEP use tarps and tents (temporary shelters) in open spaces in order to maximize the use of space at the polling stations. This would provide larger areas for voting while at the same time protecting the electoral material and polling station workers.

• Limit, to the extent possible, “mega polling stations” and make efforts to set up new polling centers with the support of the Church, among others.

• The OAS/EOM recommends that the CEP bolster training for the electoral staff so that they can provide better instructions to voters on how to vote. The Mission also suggests that instructions be posted at the polling stations as well as inside the voting booths.

• Train polling station supervisors on how to inform voters of potential delays in the opening of the polls and of the progress in setting up the polls.

• Improve assistance for voters at the polling stations in order to facilitate the identification process there.

• Streamline the voting process to prevent crowds from accumulating at the polling stations.

• Considering the problems that resulted from the indelible ink used during the 2015 elections, and in order to bolster voter trust in the process, the Mission recommends that the CEP use a different type of indelible ink for future elections. Polling station staff must be instructed on using the ink if this change occurs.

• The OAS/EOM observed that the polling station staff did not see themselves as electoral authorities on election day and that they do not feel responsible for reporting irregularities at their polling stations. The Mission recommends that during the pre-election day training, these workers be instructed on how to identify irregularities and on the importance of noting them on the return.

• The statement of poll is an official public document produced by the polling station authorities; it must report all irregularities and complaints. Therefore, if these returns are not contested, their results must be considered valid. The EOM recommends establishing election day as the time at which objections are to made, and consequently preventing the right to object from being used as a way to delay and obstruct the electoral process.

• The EOM recommends that the CEP institute an internal communication policy that will help establish a sole line of discourse, in order to avoid contradictions in the messages put out by the institution.

• The OAS/EOM recommends that the CEP implement a statistical-sample-based quick-count system as well as a system for transmitting preliminary election results, which would make it possible to inform the population of the results in a transparent, clear, and timely fashion. The OAS/EOM thus offers to train the CEP on designing and implementing a quick-count system and to use its good offices so that the Haitian electoral authorities can study, and eventually adopt, successful examples of rapid counting systems in other countries in the region. Furthermore, if the CEP decides to adopt these measures, the Mission feels that it would be important to authorize a national civil society organization to perform a rapid count on election day, making it possible to compare and validate the count performed by the CEP.

Recommendations of the EOM / OAS for the post-electoral period :

• The OAS/EOM recommends that the CEP/CTV intensify its efforts to include political parties in the different stages of the electoral process and to raise awareness among those parties of the importance of their presence throughout the process.

• The Mission recommends that the CEP adopt the necessary regulations for determining the methodology to be used for calculating the results, so as to allay any doubts about it.

• For the transparency of the electoral process, the Mission recommends that the CEP publish a daily report on the progress made on counting the results, on its website and in other media outlets, starting on the night of the election.

• The Mission also recommends that in its daily progress report the CEP divulge the total number of returns examined by the Vote Counting Center, computed by municipality and department.

• The Mission recommends that the CEP distribute, to all dispute court staff, an exhaustive collection of the law articles, regulations, and procedures that address the vote counting method, the criteria for admissibility of the returns, and the jurisdiction of the dispute bodies, in order to ensure that they have all of the information necessary to perform their work.

To finish "The Mission wants to stress that bringing the electoral process to a close is everyone’s responsibility, and that it is not just up to the electoral authority. A combined effort is required: from citizens, who must come out to vote massively according to their convictions and not due to external pressure; from candidates, who must work in the interest of the nation rather than in their own individual interest; and from the electoral authority, which must act transparently and professionally.

The structural and circumstantial recommendations presented herein are aimed at helping Haitians guarantee the minimal conditions for bringing the ongoing electoral process to a close and ensuring that their country will soon have a legitimately elected president."

Download the full report of the EOM/OAS (PDF) : https://www.haitilibre.com/docs/OAS-08-2016-Haiti-Rapport-anglais.pdf

HL/ HaitiLibre