Why is the International Community Financing Sham Elections in Haiti?

The Fanmi Lavalas party slogan embraces unity: "Everyone around the table." In Kreyol: "Yon Sèl Nou Fèb, Ansanm Nou Fò, Ansanm, Anssanm Nou Se Lavalas."

For the second time this year, U.S. Lawmakers are expressing concern about the exclusion of Fanmi Lavalas and 33 other parties from the November 28 elections in Haiti.

October 8, 2010: Reuters reports that U.S. lawmakers warn of flaws in Haiti vote process:

"The lawmakers urged Clinton to demand the elections include all eligible political parties and easy access to voting for all Haitians, including 1.5 million people displaced by the quake that wrecked Port-au-Prince and killed up to 300,000."

June 30, 2010: A report issued by Senator Richard Lugar, the ranking Republican on the U.S. Senate Foreign Relations Committee highlighted the same concern. U.S. lawmakers are also quoted as deferring to Hillary Clinton for her support on the issue.

Secretary Hillary Clinton has yet to state her position on the exclusion of Fanmi Lavalas and other parties from the Haitian elections. She's got more pressing issues to address. In September speaking along side Haitian Prime Minister and France's Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner, the U.S. Secretary of State expressed her frustration with those displaced Haitians in the death camps who were complaining about the slow pace of aid, branding them "whiner." The most pointed headline was: "US and France Scold Displaced Haitians and Other Whiners for Being 'Impatient' and 'Unrealistic'."

The Clinton's who recently purchased a palatial 7000 square foot residence in New Bedford, NY evidently have good intentions, but don't seem to be making much leeway in helping the 1.5 million Haitians living in squalid, horrid and dehumanizing conditions in what some call "death camps."

The Bill Clinton charity, Clinton Global Initiatives is widening efforts in Haiti after his recent visit. The charity, headed by daughter Chelsea Clinton (who has so far not visited Haiti) is donating a cool half-a-million dollars to Sean Penn.

Haiti's Internally Displaced Persons (IDP) showed their appreciation for the Clinton visit, but many camp residents held spontaneous demonstrations for the return of President Aristide. The protests must not resonate with ex-president Clinton; if they did he would surely have demanded a free and fair election in Haiti where all parties are allowed to participate.

The election campaign continues for the remaining approved nineteen presidential candidates. Two of the candidates have hoped to benefit from the support of Fanmi Lavalas.

Leslie Voltaire & Yves Cristalin are both claiming they have the support of Fanmi Lavalas. Fanmi Lavalas is evidently not as "irrelevant" as some pretend. A Fanmi Lavalas representative is denying that it endorses any candidate for the presidential elections:

"Felix Ansyto Commission Mobilization of Fanmi Lavalas, said that "the Lavalas political organization, does not endorse any candidate in the presidential masquerade" recalling that the charter of the Organization in its Article 8, prohibits its members to belong to any other political party for any reason whatsoever. "Clearly we are not concerned with elections announced", recalling that the organization of Jean Bertrand Aristide was removed from the electoral process."

--Haiti Libre

The Haiti presidential "selection" is comprised of candidates without a constituency or electorate. The question of the legitimacy of elections without the majority party is evidently an issue for some in the U.S. Congress.

The obvious question is: Why is the international community financing sham presidential elections in Haiti?

“In order for peace to reign, one must speak the truth, and that is why I have spoken of a political abduction, ... ... Far from my own country, but in deep communion with all Haitians, including Haitians abroad, I continue to launch an appeal for peaceful resistance.”

—Jean-Bertrand Aristide

UPDATE 10.20.2010: State Department asked to explain Haiti elections policy, but a spokesperson has no answers... and evidently is not too concerned about the issue.

Last week the U.S. State Department was asked about the issue for the second time, yet once again did not have an answer. The exclusions problem has dragged on for months, becoming a growing scandal.

“Justice delayed is justice denied,” Weisbrot said. “The U.S. has known about this problem for months, and it has been reported numerous times in the international press, not to mention that it is a major bone of contention in Haiti. Imagine if we had an ‘election’ in the U.S. and both the Democratic and Republican parties were not allowed to participate. The Obama Administration’s inability to explain why U.S. taxpayer dollars are being used to support such a blatantly anti-democratic process is inexcusable.”

[...] After the letter from 45 members of Congress was sent to Secretary of State Hillary Clinton last week, a reporter asked for comment during the State Department daily press briefing. It was the second time the issue had been raised during the briefings (the first was September 15 after an open letter [PDF] to Clinton signed by over 20 NGO’s). The exchange reveals the State Department’s lack of concern regarding the issue.

Read more at the Center for Economic and Policy Research.