During a meeting of the Electoral Council, half of the members indicated that there were instances of fraud in the latest presidential election. Last week Mirlande Manigat and Michel Martelly were confirmed for the second round run off on March 20th.

In declarations to Telesur, the Secretary General of the Haitian Provisional Electoral Council, Leonel Raphael, noted that four out of eight members of the entity refuse to sign off the results of the first round.

However, he said that under Haiti’s election law it is not necessary that all the members of the Council sign the election results.”

Raphael indicated that the situation not to sign is motivated by the particular political interests of the Council members themselves.
Last week, the entity informed that the candidates could participate in the runoff elections. Mirlande Manigat of the opposition gained the highest percentage of votes, followed by singer Michel Martelly.

Twelve of the candidates who participated in the election reported the alleged fraud.

Concerning these declarations, Raphael stated that “it is a political issue and each politician seeks to play his part in the game.”

He denied that the allegations will affect the runoff vote.

Raphael claimed that most of the population recognises the need for the process to continue in order to replace incumbent, President Rene Preval.

A group of opposition parties have agreed to prioritise a change to the electoral code when Congress reconvenes on March 1st. The proyect, presented last July, proposes implementing a single-ballot system in time for October’s presidential elections.

Those in support of a single ballot system argue that it will simplify the voting process, increase transparency, and put an end to the allegations of fraud at election time.

Adrián Pérez, member of the Coalición Cívica who proposed the bill for a single-ballot system, said that the single ballot will guarantee that citizens can vote for anyone they want, since all the candidates will appear on the same paper. He added that it is also the best way to end the theft of ballots.

However, Alejandro Rossi, representative of the government’s Front for Victory party criticised the proposal, which he claims will confuse the voting process unless accompanied by electoral voting.

Rossi aluded to the forthcoming local elections in his home province of Santa Fe, in which the single-ballot system will be used.

“The single ballot sheet will be giant with 80 different lists in which the voter will not be able to identify the party he or she wants to vote for. Finding a cross in the sea of options will be impossible, and marking a cross with a pen makes fraud much easier than under the old system,” state Rossi, speaking to La Nación newspaper.

Rossi, who is also vice president of the Constitutional Affairs Committee that will debate the proyect, also accused smaller opposition parties of trying to undermine the country’s traditional political parties.

The single ballot system is already used in a other parts of Latin America, including Colombia, Mexico, Honduras, Chile, Peru, and Paraguay.