MAIMI (LE FLORIDIEN) – Since the dismissal of the Haitian Parliament in early January 2020, and the end of mayoral terms this past July, as President, Jovenel Moise has been ruling Haiti by decree. It seems to be a dream come true for this man who can -as many of his predecessors always wanted to- govern the country by dictatorship.
Without a parliament to balance the power of the executive branch, Jovenel Moise seems very comfortable in his one-man rule. As he seems to now view the country as his personal and private property, the entrepreneur-turned-politician six years ago did not hesitate to ‘give’ an island to well-known American rapper Kanye West when the US presidential candidate visited Haiti last month. The Chicago rapper visited the country on September 25, where he was reportedly conducting business with Iranian-American entrepreneur and investor Shervin Kordary Pishevar.
“We go to Haiti and the president gives us this island to develop; to make it a city of the future,” West said during an appearance on the Joe Rogan Experience show on YouTube.
It is clear that Moise has no means to organize the legislative and mayoral elections. Last Friday, in a surprise announcement, Moise told Haitians that elections would take place only after they have had a chance to vote on a new constitution through a referendum. He did not say when such a vote would happen, or, more importantly, who would draft this new constitution.
According to West, President Moise told him that the way he has done business with President Trump has been “so straightforward.” However, the rapper did not specify what type of business the Haitian president and the US president are conducting.
It seems that in Moise’s mind, his ‘tight relationship’ with the actual US administration, especially President Donald Trump, would allow him to do whatever he wants as president, even to delay elections and change the country’s constitution to suit his appetite.
That is a big mistake, Mr. President. It’s all in your mind. The Trump administration’s view is far different when it comes to democracy.
According to a Miami Herald’s Jacqueline Charles report, a U.S. State Department spokesperson said the U.S. is expecting elections in Haiti no later than January to renew the entire Lower Chamber of Deputies, two-thirds of the 30-member Senate and all local offices, including mayors.
Moise is now one of just 11 elected officials in the country of 11 million residents. The other elected officials are the remaining 10 senators who are, in effect, powerless and can’t even garner a quorum to assemble.
“We want to see Haitians afforded the right to elect their representatives and have been very clear and consistent on that point,” a spokesperson with the State Department’s Bureau of Western Hemisphere Affairs told the Miami Herald. “We want to see Haitians afforded the right to elect their representatives… In a democracy, the people’s interests are represented by their elected representatives, yet today in Haiti, the legislative branch of government is not working.”
Earlier this month, U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said, “Haiti’s legislative elections are now overdue.” While the U.S. wanted them to be held as soon as “technically feasible,” Pompeo pointed out that the Organization of American States wants them to be held by the end of January 2021.
“We support the OAS’ assessment that elections can and should happen by no later than January 2021,” the spokesperson said.
