UN Security Council calls for first round of Haitian elections by early next month

Expressing concern about the latest postponement of Haiti’s elections, the United Nations Security Council today urged the Transitional Government and the Provisional Electoral Council to announce definite dates for the voting, with the first round to be held no later than 7 February.

The authorities should ensure that the elections take place in accordance with international democratic standards and under conditions conducive to the widest possible participation, the Security Council president for January, Permanent Representative Augustine Mahiga of Tanzania, read in a presidential statement.

“The Security Council reiterates that the future holding of elections is a fundamental step towards the restoration of democracy and stability in Haiti,” he said.

The revised electoral calendar and its corresponding budget should be realistic and comprehensive, encompassing national, municipal and local elections, the Council said, and it called upon all relevant international stakeholders to continue to collaborate closely with the Transitional Government of Haiti and other national authorities to this end.

The Council also expressed its concern over the deterioration of security in Haiti’s capital, Port-au-Prince, and urged the Haitian National Police and the peacekeeping UN Stabilization Mission in Haiti (MINUSTAH) to continue intensifying their cooperation to improve security and to restore and maintain the rule of law.

“In this regard, the Council pays tribute to those MINUSTAH peacekeepers that have been killed or injured in the line of duty,” Ambassador Mahiga said.

He said the Council recognized that elections were not the sole means of addressing the longer-term problems in the security sector and in restoring the rule of law, both of which were critical to stability and sustainable development. The Council welcomed, therefore, the donor community’s decision to extend the Interim Cooperation Framework until December 2007 so as to assist the newly elected government in its reconstruction efforts.

Earlier today MINUSTAH said it launched a military operation of road blocks and check points yesterday designed to end the spate of kidnappings in Port-au-Prince and re-establish security for the upcoming elections.

The mission called on city residents to have patience with traffic and any other disruptions that might result from the operation.. It added, meanwhile, that the problems of insecurity necessitated not only a military response but an improvement of the conditions facing the people living in the city’s most disadvantaged districts.