After having observed over 300 polling stations during Haiti’s presidential and legislative elections Sunday last, the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) Election Observer Mission (CEOM) has declared general satisfaction with the conduct of the poll.

The 300 polling stations it visited were situated in three districts in and neighbouring the capital city Port-au-Prince, including areas affected by Hurricane Matthew.

The Mission stated in its initial assessments that "staff were trained, committed and dedicated to effectively conduct the elections for president and senators [...]

The overall considered opinion is that compared with the 25 October 2015 poll, on this occasion the CEP officers at the Polling Stations not only displayed an improved competence, but a uniform execution of their duties. The team attributed this noticeable amelioration to the training of poll staff conducted by the CEP. With few exceptions the poll staff treated CEOM members with the utmost respect, and demonstrated a genuine willingness to accommodate queries."

The CEOM said it will specify and recommend new improvements in its final report, but noted that many of the lapses observed were "not of any great consequence or of the nature to disturb the electoral results."

It should be noted that many of the suggestions documented by CEOM after the 25 October 2015 elections were incorporated into the CEP training program and were used on 20 November 2016.

HL/ HaitiLibre