CARICOM observers for Haiti Elections

(CARICOM Secretariat, Turkeyen, Greater Georgetown, Guyana) A six member team from the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) will travel to Haiti on Saturday 4th February, to observe the first round of next Tuesday’s presidential and legislative elections.

The team will be headed by Jamaica’s former Director of Elections, Mr. Noel Lee, and will include observers from other Member States.

CARICOM’s spokesman on Haiti and Assistant Secretary-General for Foreign ad Community Relations, Ambassador Colin Granderson, explained that the observer mission was “in keeping with a commitment by CARICOM Heads of Government in 2004 to do what is in the best interest of the Haitian people, mindful that Haiti remains a member of CARICOM.”

He pointed out that at the Twenty-Sixth Regular Meeting of the Conference of Heads of Government of CARICOM held last July in Gros Islet, Saint Lucia, Heads of Government decided that CARICOM would participate in the international observance of elections. “Free, fair and credible elections are of paramount importance to return Haiti to constitutional rule and to ensure the legitimacy of the government formed as a result of these elections,” Ambassador Granderson said.

Ambassador Granderson said the CARICOM observer team would be working closely with the International Mission Monitoring Elections in Haiti (IMMEH) along with other international observer groups such as those fielded by the Organisation Internationale de la Francophonie and the European Union (EU).