One month ahead of presidential elections, only 15 percent of centres in storm affected area are operational - electoral official

Record ID: 83912

  • Title: One month ahead of presidential elections, only 15 percent of centres in storm affected area are operational - electoral official
  • Date: 24th October 2016
  • Summary: JEREMIE, HAITI (OCTOBER 22, 2016) (REUTERS) EXTERIOR OF 'GRAND'ANSE' DEPARTMENT ELECTORAL OFFICE WOMAN CLEANING ELECTORAL OFFICE FLOODED DURING HURRICANE MATTHEW WET DOCUMENTS FEET OF PEOPLE WALKING THROUGH FLOODED ELECTORAL OFFICE VEHICLE CARRYING HAITIAN ELECTORAL COUNCIL (CEP) PRESIDENT LEOPOLD BERLANGER ARRIVING BERLANGER WALKING CLOSE-UP OF CEP LOGO ON BERLANGER'S SHIRT BERLANGER DURING NEWS CONFERENCE (SOUNDBITE) (Creole) LEOPOLD BERLANGER, PRESIDENT OF HAITI'S ELECTORAL COUNCIL (CEP), SAYING: "Of 106 voting centres in the Grand'Anse department, only 16 are ready for elections. However, most of the 16 functioning voting centres are being used as provisional shelters." ELECTORAL MATERIAL ON WET FLOOR CAMPAIGN POSTER ELECTORAL MATERIAL MEMBERS OF HAITI'S ELECTORAL COUNCIL (CEP) DURING NEWS CONFERENCE (SOUNDBITE) (Creole) LEOPOLD BERLANGER, PRESIDENT OF HAITI'S ELECTORAL COUNCIL (CEP), SAYING: "We will work very hard to publish the results on the third of January (the date that results for the disputed senate seats will be announced) such that the parliament can continue to function. So the new session of parliament will open on January 9 with 20 senators." MAN CARRYING WET ELECTORAL MATERIAL BOXES OF WET AND DESTROYED ELECTORAL MATERIAL IN AN ELECTORAL OFFICE MAN CARRYING BAG WITH ELECTORAL MATERIAL BALLOT BOX (SOUNDBITE) (Creole) MARIE ANDERE, JEREMIE RESIDENT, SAYING: "We are fighting to have a good president who can work because we are farmers. We grow our fields. We are not in favour of any destruction. We are growing plantains, corn, avocado, so that we will have food products within the next two years." CARS PARKED IN FRONT OF GRAND'ANSE ELECTORAL OFFICE PATCH ON UNIFORM OF HAITIAN POLICE OFFICER GUARDING STREET POLICE OFFICER WALKING AND SWEATING UNITED NATIONS VEHICLE PARKED IN AREA STREET VIEW
  • Embargoed: 8th November 2016 03:48
  • Keywords: elections voting centres Leopold Berlanger Hurricane Matthew storm damage
  • Location: JEREMIE, HAITI
  • City: JEREMIE, HAITI
  • Country: Haiti
  • Topics: Government/Politics,Elections/Voting
  • Reuters ID: LVA00155D4OXV
  • Aspect Ratio: 16:9
  • Story Text: With just one month to go until Haiti holds its first round of delayed presidential elections, the country's top electoral official said that only 15 percent of voting centres are operational in the storm-damaged department that includes the ravaged city of Jeremie.
    Electoral Council (CEP) President Leopold Berlanger visited Jeremie on Saturday (October 22), touring some voting centres and receiving reports about the others from local electoral officials.
    He told journalists that not only were most centres not ready to host elections, but those that had sustained damage were currently being used to shelter people left homeless by Hurricane Matthew.
    "Of 106 voting centres in the Grand'Anse department, only 16 are ready for elections. However, most of the 16 functioning voting centres are being used as provisional shelters," he said.
    Hurricane Matthew hit the southwestern peninsula of Haiti on October 4 as a Category 4 storm, leaving 1,000 dead and 1.4 million people in need of aid.
    Schools, hospitals, churches and homes in Jeremie and the surrounding communities were damaged, and residents were forced to seek shelter in the remaining buildings.
    The Caribbean nation held first-round elections last year, in October of 2015, but results were disputed by numerous candidates.
    After months of protests and political wrangling, a commission created by Interim President Jocelerme Privert found fraud and recommended another vote.
    Officials scheduled repeat elections to take place October 9 but they were delayed because of Hurricane Matthew.
    Earlier this month, the CEP rescheduled for November 20 the first round election which includes the president, one-third of the senate and complementary legislative seats.
    Berlanger encouraged local officials to work hard to get the voting centres ready, and told journalists that the CEP seeks to meet the deadlines set for voting and announcing of results so that parliament would open on time.
    "We will work very hard to publish the results on the third of January (the date that results for the disputed senate seats will be announced) such that the parliament can continue to function. So the new session of parliament will open on January 9 with 20 senators," he said.
    Dozens of candidates originally ran for president with official results showing the top four candidates winning almost 80 percent of the total vote.
    Jeremie resident Marie Andere said the election is important for rural residents like those in this area because they need a leader who understands their particular concerns.
    "We are fighting to have a good president who can work because we are farmers. We grow our fields. We are not in favour of any destruction. We are growing plantains, corn, avocado, so that we will have food products within the next two years," she said.
    After the devastating 2010 earthquake that left over 300,000 dead, Haiti has had a major influx of residents from rural to urban areas, straining resources in cities and draining the countryside of farmers.
    Hurricane Matthew is the largest natural disaster to hit the poorest country in the Western hemisphere since the earthquake and caused tremendous damage not just to structures, but to fields, trees and roads.
    Despite the obstacles, first-round elections remain scheduled for November 20 and the second round runoff is set for January 29, 2017.
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