LEAD CARICOM-Consensus yet to emerge on Haiti’s general election

BRIDGETOWN, Barbados, CMC—Caribbean Community (CARICOM) leaders were heading into caucus on Thursday to discuss the possibility of Haiti holding long-overdue elections in November, but a consensus has yet to emerge on doing so.

The last elections in the French-speaking Caribbean Community (CARICOM) country were held in 2016, and following President Jovenel Moise’s assassination in 2021 and subsequent security and other issues, staging an election now has become problematic.

Speaking at the ceremonial opening of the CARICOM summit here on Wednesday night, Barbados Prime Minister and CARICOM chair, Mia Mottley, said that the situation in Haiti continues to be a significant concern to the grouping “and it is not going to be sufficient just to be able to say that Haiti will have an election on November 15”.

St. Kitts-Nevis Foreign Affairs Minister Dr. Denzil Douglas told the Caribbean Media Corporation(CMC) that Haiti had been the subject of discussion at the CARICOM Foreign Affairs Ministers(CARICOF) meeting that preceded the three-day regional summit.

“I believe the time has come for us to seriously examine the Haitian situation, work with the international community, and bring about a lasting democratic change for the betterment of the people of Haiti. The way it is cannot continue.

“It is not sustainable, and so we are working on that yesterday, in our foreign ministers meeting, Haiti was a subject matter today in plenary…(and) later this afternoon, it will be in caucus,” Douglas told CMC.

The situation in Haiti was among the agenda items on Thursday, and the leaders were expected to meet in caucus after their lunch break.

Informed sources told CMC that at least one prime minister is pushing for the polls to be held in Haiti, despite the current security situation where criminal gangs are seeking to take complete control of the capital, Port au Prince, and have launched several attacks, killing women and children among others.

In 2023, the United Nations Security Council passed a resolution for a Kenya-led Multinational Security Support (MSS) Mission aimed at combating gang violence and restoring stability in the country.

“This notion that elections cannot be held because of the instability, we have to be careful that we do not use that to protect the elections further,” the sources said, adding, “because where there is a vacuum, other elements will fill that vacuum and you need a government with the legitimacy of the people, elected by the people for the people that will have the type of legitimacy to restore order in Haiti.”

The sources said that staging the elections in Haiti this year would also help restore the country’s various government institutions, warning, “In the absence of that, you will have a problem.

“Now, I accept that having the elections in the prevailing situation, gang violence, in particular, will be challenging, but I believe that the people in CARICOM should try to work out these difficulties to hold the elections as soon as practicable as planned.”

Dominica’s Prime Minister Roosevelt Skerrit has described the move towards holding the elections in November as “aspirational,” given the country’s current security situation.

“So we’re in support of elections. That is full support for elections. What we’re saying is look, stick a pin. What about the other elements, the other elements of the road map that we’ve discussed, and there’s agreement on the part of the international community to provide because elections, in our view, will not solve all of Haiti’s problems.

“It will not end the gangs. It will strengthen the gangs because they may tremendously influence the elections and who will get elected. Who will get elected if you do not have a situation where people can feel free to exercise their franchise because there’s no peace, there’s no security in Haiti, and so forth?

“So we need to ensure that the elements of the road map towards elections and restoration of law and order in Haiti are fulfilled.

“Well, I mean, and I’m not saying, no, don’t go ahead with elections. That’s not for me to decide or for anybody to determine. What we are saying, as a friend of Haiti and Haiti being part of the community and our historical obligation to Haiti, is that we need to do more for Haiti, and we should not be struggling to raise the money required to restore law and order and to give people a semblance of peace in Haiti.

“In this circumstance, we can only be hopeful. You understand. I do not see it happening unless the resources are frontloaded and the commitments are fulfilled.

So…to me, elections in this year is more aspirational, rather than practical, unless, if, we see a change in the attitude of the Security Council and the other partners in the next couple of weeks,” Skerrit added.

Guyana’s President, Dr. Irfaan Ali, said that CARICOM enters the Haitian situation “united on the fact that we must do everything to ensure that elections are held.”

But he acknowledged that before elections are held, “we have to do everything to ensure stability in terms of security and that the humanitarian side of things is helped.

“And yes, we are, we are, we are concerned as everyone else, and we understand how important these elections are. It is our work and agreement that led to an understanding that this is a period that must be utilized to move towards the election and to get towards the election, but as I said later today in the caucus, we’ll have a better understanding,” Ali added.

St. Vincent and the Grenadines Prime Minister Dr. Ralph Gonsalves said that while he would await the caucus meeting to learn his colleagues’ positions, the debate on the Haitian issue also gathered steam following Wednesday night’s announcement by United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres about a new initiative to secure peace and stability on the French island.

“I intend to present to the Security Council a proposal that is very similar to the one that we have given for Somalia, in which the UN assumes the responsibility for the structural and logistical expenditures that are necessary to put the force in place and the salaries of the force are paid through the trust fund that already exists.

“And if the Security Council will accept this proposal, we will have the conditions to finally have an effective force to defeat the gangs in Haiti and create the conditions for democracy,” Guterres said.

Gonsalves said whether the Security Council will accept his proposal is another question, “but I will reasonably suspect that the Secretary-General would not go with a proposal to the Security Council on a matter so important without having at least some indication from the permanent five at the United Nations Security Council that there’s a likelihood of its acceptance.”

He said that far more critical than the total agreement among CARICOM leaders is the question about the agreement among the stakeholders in Haiti and their preparations, even though CARICOM would be willing to ensure that the elections are free and fair.

“The critical question is, what will the security situation be like when you hold elections in November? To hold elections, as we have them, you must have public meetings.

“People are to feel safe, attending the public meetings, going to and from them, the gatherings. And there has to be a period of relative calm. So we will see how that evolves,” Gonsalves added.

Bahamas Prime Minister Phillip Davis said from his perspective, “It’s going to be very challenging for elections to be held in November because of the continuing deterioration of the security status in Haiti; it’s tough.

“And even if we were to be able to bring some stability to the situation, there has to be some time. There has to be what I call a cooling-off period. … at least six months of a cooling off period to ensure that the stability you have achieved is maintained and sustainable,” Davis added.