Haiti: Maxine Waters denounces election fraud by coup government

Congresswoman Waters denounces the obvious attempts to steal the elections in Haiti and deny René Préval the Presidency

Washington, D.C. — Today, on Capitol Hill, Rep. Maxine Waters (CA-35) released a statement on the elections in Haiti. The elections took place on Tuesday, February 7, but the results have yet to be announced. The Congresswoman's statement follows:

The obvious attempts to steal the elections in Haiti are blatant and shameful. It is absolutely outrageous that the President Aristide-haters, the anti-Lavalas elites, and the United States Government would so openly and blatantly steal these elections.

The international community is witnessing yet another blow against the Haitian people by the same forces that forced President Aristide out of Haiti, the same forces who are responsible for all of the chaos and destabilization of this small country. How much more can the Haitian people take?

The anti-Aristide forces have done everything in their power to imprison the leaders of the Lavalas Party and deny Lavalas leaders their right to run for office and their right to voice their opposition to the Group of 184, the Provisional Electoral Council, the puppet government, the International Republican Institute, and others who are determined to undermine democracy in Haiti. President Bush must accept responsibility for the ongoing violence, the chaos, and the blatant attempts to steal these elections.

Early results showed an overwhelming victory for Rene Preval. Many polling stations posted their results the day after the elections, and Preval won between 60% and 90% of the vote in all of these polling stations. Last Thursday, the Provisional Electoral Council was reporting that Preval had 61.5% of the votes counted thus far.

Since that time, 125,000 ballots or 7.5% of the votes cast were declared invalid by the CEP because of alleged irregularities. Another 4% of the ballots were allegedly blank but nevertheless included in the vote count, thereby making it more difficult for Preval to exceed 50%.

No one in their right mind could possibly believe that Rene Preval's lead plunged so quickly below the 50% required to avoid a runoff. What are the people of Haiti to do?

Who in the international community will step forward and speak up against the obvious power-grab perpetrated on a nearly defenseless people?

I am totally disgusted with my own government and the role it played in this entire fiasco. Is their no shame? Is their no compassion? Is their no decency?

I cannot believe the audacity of the United Nations and others to tell the Haitian people that they should not resist oppression and demand respect. The Haitian people have suffered greatly at the hands of the United States, France and Canada, powerful nations who preach democracy and yet orchestrated the removal of the democratically-elected president of Haiti and drove him from his own country.

Is their no shame in the fact that the United States installed the puppet Prime Minister Gerard Latortue from Boca Raton, Florida, who proceeded to jail former Prime Minister Yvon Neptune on frivolous charges and jailed other Lavalas leaders like former Interior Minister Jocelerme Privert, Haitian singer Anne Auguste and Father Gerard Jean-Juste without cause? Is their no shame in the fact that the United States allowed Roger Noriega to conspire with Andy Apaid and the Group of 184 to manipulate Haitian students in cooperation with the Haitian elites in an attempt to grab control of that country for their own purposes?

Haven't the Haitian people suffered enough? The man-made terror and violence coupled with natural disasters that have been inflicted upon the people of Haiti will be recorded in history as catastrophic events that caused tremendous loss of life and an unbearable and tragic existence for the Haitian people.

After all of this suffering, is the United States really prepared to stand by and deny the poorest of people who persevered on election day, walked for miles, and waited for hours for the right to elect persons of their choice? If so, then the President of the United States does not deserve to use the word "democracy," for he neither respects nor supports it, but simply promotes the rhetoric of democracy to his own advantage.

I stand with the people of Haiti. I stand with the Lavalas Party. I stand with Rene Preval and his Party of Hope. I stand with President Aristide. I stand for justice, equality and democracy. And I challenge the United States, France and Canada to correct their destructive behavior and give democracy a chance.

Rene Preval is obviously the elected president of Haiti. He received considerably more than 50% of the vote, and he must be granted the right to serve without further interference, obstacles or violence.