Haiti - Elections : The MOEC recalls that the results are preliminary
The Joint Mission OAS/CARICOM (MOEC) in Haiti, recalls to the candidates that the results published by the Provisional Electoral Council (CEP) Tuesday, December 7, are preliminary and therefore are not the final results of the first round for the presidential and legislative elections.
These results flow from operations of the Tabulation Center. The observers of the MOEC and other international and national observers were able to monitor the verification process conducted in accordance with the Electoral Act. A number of minutes, which did not conform to the Electoral Law and that were irregular or showed obvious signs of fraud, were set aside and have not been tabulated in order to ensure probity of the preliminary results. The Electoral Act provides several legal remedies for the contestation process immediately following the posting of preliminary results (72 hours). The MOEC reiterates its call for candidates and political parties to make full use of these legal remedies to address their complaints about the preliminary results.
The MOEC also called the CEP to ensure that these contestations, are handled with rigor, transparency and fairness that they deserve in a difficult electoral environment where suspicions abound. The possible results of the phase of contestation will lead to the proclamation of the official results of the first turn of the presidential elections and legislature on December 20th. The Mission regrets the violent protests that began Tuesday night following the publication of preliminary results. Candidates and political leaders should call their supporters to be calm in order to create the calm atmosphere necessary for a fruitful dialogue and to facilitate the constructive approach offered by the legal remedies listed in the Electoral Law which is part of the Rule of Law.
