COHA Deserves Applause for Retracting Article, but Should Know Haiti’s 2006 Election Was Not Free

COHA should be applauded for having the honesty and humility to concede some of the shortcomings of Michael Glenwick’s article of September 14. Larry Birns’ substantially revised article is much closer to being fair and accurate in its assessment of the Aristide and Latortue governments. [1] Much to his credit Birns, unlike Glenwick, highlighted the US role in ousting Aristide and appropriately referred to US policy as “malevolent”. Unfortunately, Birns also claimed that the 2006 elections “could have been Haiti’s fairest election ever.” Birns should know from reading COHA’s reports that those elections were very far from being free or fair. One would have to go back into Haiti’s dictatorial past for examples of elections that were worse. The most important tactic used to rig the elections was widespread repression against Lavalas. Other barriers to participation were discussed in my first response (and in COHA’s earlier work). After 90% of the ballots were counted, massive demonstrations erupted as evidence mounted that fraud was keeping Preval’s percentage below the threshold required for victory. A deal was made. Preval was declared the winner and a transparent recount avoided. [2] It may be argued that the Haitian people won the presidential election back through popular mobilization after it had been stolen.

While the Haitian elite and their foreign backers did not ultimately succeed in stealing the presidential election, their tactics did succeed in saddling Preval with a legislature that would block progressive polices. They also succeeded in stacking the judiciary, the police and even some of Preval’s cabinet, with supporters of the coup.

Birns writes as if the “long road ahead” towards “better days” is one that Haitians, and Preval in particular, will travel alone – that it is basically up to them to find their way towards democracy and justice. That isn’t the case. The US and its allies will continue to malevolently block their way, and get away with it to the extent that their citizens remain misinformed about Haiti’s recent history. The most dangerous gangsters Haitians face are high officials who reside in Washington, Paris and Ottawa. We who live in the US, Canada or France should do much more than simply hope that things turn out well in Haiti.

[1] Birns might have gone into detail about the Aristide government’s achievements such as building an unprecedented number of schools, literacy centers, a globally recognized AIDs program, backing healthcare for all, and initiating a historic lawsuit against France for reparations .

See HaitiAction All of this with half his total budget cut due to US led sanctions

[2] See Brian Concannon’s “Counting Some of The Votes in Haiti”

Also see “Nage Pou Soti”

Joe Emersberger contributes to the online publication HaitiAnalysis

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