Haiti’s government is calling for an accelerated national campaign to prepare citizens for elections, saying the country must move beyond simply following an electoral calendar and create a broader culture of participation around the vote.
Sandra Paulemon, minister of planning and external cooperation, made the call during a meeting of the Steering Committee for the Electoral Process Support Project this week. The meeting brought together Jacques Desrosiers, president of Haiti’s Provisional Electoral Council (CEP), electoral advisers, United Nations officials and representatives of international organizations and development partners.
Among those participating were Carlos Ruiz Massieu, special representative of the U.N. secretary-general and head of the United Nations Integrated Office in Haiti (BINUH), Xavier Michon, United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) resident representative in Haiti, and representatives of the United Nations Office for Project Services (UNOPS-Haiti) and the Organization of American States.
Paulemon said organizing elections remains the government’s priority and that public institutions have been mobilized around a common roadmap intended to ensure coordination in implementing the electoral calendar.
But she argued that technical and financial preparations alone will not be enough to ensure successful elections.
In February, key national stakeholders signed the National Pact for Stability and the Organization of Elections, which brought together state institutions, political parties, civil society, the private sector, religious organizations, the media and citizens around a commitment to credible, peaceful and inclusive elections, according to Paulemon.
The minister said an entire generation of young Haitians has grown up without experiencing national elections or the democratic debates that typically accompany them.
While the electoral calendar represents an important step, she said Haiti has not yet fully entered what she described as “electoral mode.”
Paulemon called for the rapid rollout of a nationwide public information and awareness campaign designed to make the electoral process more visible to citizens.
“We want to hear special election programs on radio and television, see information panels and posters in the streets, awareness campaigns in neighborhoods, young people discussing democratic issues, families exchanging information about their right to vote, citizen organizations mobilizing, and public institutions conveying a unified message of hope,” she said.
She urged the CEP to take steps to create a national dynamic around the elections, arguing that the process should be about more than adhering to a schedule.
“The elections must be visible, audible, and present in the daily lives of citizens, so that everyone feels fully involved in this historic event,” Paulemon said.
Government commits $120 million
Paulemon also outlined measures the government says it has taken to support the electoral process, including a financial commitment of US$120 million for organizing the elections.
She said the government would take steps to ensure the funds are mobilized quickly and would prevent ordinary budgetary procedures from delaying the electoral calendar.
“Our commitment is clear: the electoral calendar will not be slowed down by State budgetary procedures,” she said.
According to Paulemon, the government has also decided to prioritize the processing of electoral materials at ports and customs, fully mobilize the National Identification Office (ONI) to speed up the issuance of identification cards, maintain coordination between security authorities and the CEP, and work with local authorities to deploy polling stations and electoral materials across the country.
As minister of planning and external cooperation, Paulemon said her ministry would continue coordinating efforts to monitor government commitments and address administrative, institutional or financial obstacles that could delay the electoral timetable.
She also called on the CEP and UNDP to immediately release resources for the national electoral information and awareness campaign.
Paulemon said the campaign should begin appearing on radio stations, television channels and digital platforms in the coming days, alongside billboards, banners, public transportation messaging and social media outreach.
“Elections go far beyond simply organizing a vote,” she said, describing them as a foundation for restoring legitimate institutions, political stability, continuity in public administration and economic recovery.
She also stressed that preparations for an election must extend beyond government offices.
“An election is not prepared solely in the offices of the Provisional Electoral Council,” Paulemon said. “It is also prepared in homes, schools, churches, markets, the media, and in the minds of every citizen.”
The government is calling on state institutions, political groups, national and international partners and other sectors of Haitian society to accelerate preparations.
Paulemon said restoring the legitimacy of Haiti’s institutions is a national imperative and urged stakeholders not to allow delays to undermine what she described as the country’s appointment with democracy.
caribbeannationalweekly.com
