The European Union announced Thursday that it would not finance the organization of the referendum scheduled for June 27 in Haiti nor send observers for this election, deeming the process insufficiently transparent and democratic in a country plagued by insecurity and political instability.
Read also: Haiti: the government maintains its referendum despite international criticism
"The conditions for financial and technical support for the organization of the elections are absolutely not met at this stage so we have refused to contribute to this process as it stands",
declared the ambassador of the European Union in Haiti. , Sylvie Tabesse.
"We consider that the process does not give all the guarantees of transparency and democracy that we would be entitled to expect, therefore, in this context, no, if the (Haitian) government asked us, we do not consider to respond positively for an observation mission, ”
added the diplomat during a meeting with several journalists in the Haitian capital.
Since January 2020, President Jovenel Moïse has governed by decrees and without checks and balances, due to the lack of elections organized in recent years. The power in place has drawn up a busy electoral calendar for the year 2021 in order to allow the democratic renewal of all political personnel. But in addition to the presidential, legislative and local elections in the fall, Jovenel Moïse wants to submit to a popular vote, on June 27, a project for a new Constitution. Last week, the United States renewed its call for the organization of elections in Haiti while affirming its opposition to a constitutional change. Faced with these reservations from the international community, the Haitian government refuses to give up its project.
“A referendum is an act of sovereignty. It mainly concerns Haitians: they are the ones who decide whether or not they want a referendum to change the Constitution, ”
Haitian Prime Minister Claude Joseph had already reacted on Tuesday. The organization of this election stirs up criticism even in the camp of Jovenel Moïse because the chosen procedure does not seem to respect the provisions of the current constitution. Written in 1987, after the fall of the Duvalier dictatorship, the text currently in force declares that
"any popular consultation aimed at modifying the Constitution by means of a referendum is formally prohibited".
In this difficult political context, the grip of gangs on the territory has worsened in recent months, allowing an upsurge in kidnappings for ransom in Port-au-Prince and in the provinces.
