Thursday at the National Palace, President Jovenel Moïse, accompanied by Prime Minister Jack Guy Lafontant, met with representatives and leaders of political parties around the institutionalization of political life and the financing of political parties in Haiti.

If several parties known to be close to the Executive: OPL, PHKT, "Repons Peyizan", GREH, AAA and "Renmen Ayiti" had representatives at this meeting, of who were responsible for several opposition parties (Fanmi Lavalas, Pitit Dessalin, Vérité, INITE, Mopod and FUSION) rejected the meeting with the Head of State.

Edmonde Supplice Beauzile, President of the Fusion of the Haitian Social Democrats (FUSION) believes that the moment is not appropriate to talk about financing of political parties, while the Government's draft budget is the subject of demonstrations and is contested...

For several other absent parties, the authorities must first settle a number of problems, including the sidelining of the 2017/2018 budget.

The purpose of this meeting, the first of its kind under the Moïse Government, was to initiate a process of consultation and reflection with political party leaders on the conditions for the application of the provisions relating to public funding contained in the 2014 law on the formation, operation and financing of political parties.

The Head of State stressed the difficulties faced by political parties in Haiti "In some countries, political life is organized and stabilized around two or three major poles. The choice of voters is facilitated because the political offer is reduced "inviting the political parties to exert a leadership by their capacity to grasp the stakes for the Haitian society. He said that he expects various obstacles to complete such an undertaking, believing that this implies the establishment of a democratic system based on a constant search for convergence and consensus for the benefit of the community. "This system of institutionalized parties because funded properly will not happen without sacrifices. But such an initiative is worthwhile in terms of the expected results for the democratic health of our country."

With regard to the political party funding process provided for in the Political Parties Act, the Head of State insisted on the need to use the resources allocated to them in order to avoid wasting public funds.

His speech was followed by exchanges that reflected the diversity of views and ideology during this meeting, at the end of which a monitoring committee was set up to ensure the sustainability of the initiative.

HL/ S/ HaitiLibre