Following a letter sent on October 15 to Secretary of State Michael Pompeo, signed by Frederica Wilson, Massachusetts Senator Edward Markey and 24 congressmen to express their concern over the Trump administration's calls for elections in Haiti without a large participation of the Civil Society.

Download the letter from the group of legislators to Pompéo (PDF) : https://www.haitilibre.com/docs/Lettre-de-Frederica-Wilson-a-pompeo.pdf

Following the response on November 17, 2020, from Ryan M. Kaldahl ,Acting Assistant Secretary of the U.S. Department of State Bureau of Legislative Affairs

Download the response from the Department of State (PDF) : https://www.haitilibre.com/docs/reponse-du-Departement-d-Etat.pdf

Congresswoman Frederica Wilson declared :

"I’m pleased to hear that the State Department shares my concerns regarding democracy, insecurity, and human rights in Haiti and that it agree that elections, when scheduled, should include the broadest possible participation of civil society in order to strengthen Haiti’s democratic process.

However, Haitian civil society has raised pressing concerns about a lack of an inclusive dialogue, government intimidation, and unconstitutional appointments to the electoral council. As stated in my October 15th letter, it remains critical for Secretary Pompeo to recognize these concerns and use the voice of the United States to support free and fair elections. While legitimate elections should take place as soon as possible, I am deeply concerned that a failure to engage key stakeholders and fears of political intimidation will harm public confidence in any outcome.

I am also disappointed that the State Department has chosen to not directly address the September 16 statement made by a senior official warning Haitian civil society groups of 'consequences' if they stand in the way of the electoral process. This rhetoric threatens to impede meaningful dialogue and I again urge Secretary Pompeo to clarify those remarks."

HL/ HaitiLibre