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Want to Know why Jude Celestin is Quitting The Haiti Presidential Race? Read This...

The United States is threatening to cut off aid to Haiti UNLESS Michel Martelly is allowed to proceed to the second round of the Haiti presidential elections INSTEAD of Jude Celestin.

There... That's why Candidate Jude Celestin is leaving the presidential race!

This is according to an official press release from the Center for Economic and Policy Research (CEPR)

They are calling it "Sad Day for Haitian Democracy"

Do you agree?

Here it is... The official Press Release:

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
January 25, 2011, 4:57 PM
CONTACT: CEPR
Dan Beeton, 202-239-1460

"Sad Day for Haitian Democracy" as U.S. Threatens to Cut Off Aid to Haiti in Order to Reverse its Election Results, CEPR Co-Director Says

WASHINGTON - January 25 - Increasing U.S. pressure on the Haitian government for it to overturn the results of the November 28 presidential election marks another "sad day for Haitian democracy" and such a move "will do nothing to fix an inherently flawed election," the Co-Director of the Center for Economic and Policy Research (CEPR) said today. The international community, led by the U.S., France, and Canada, has been intensifying the pressure on the Haitian government to to allow presidential candidate Michel Martelly to proceed to the second round of elections instead of Jude Celestin. In the past several days the U.S. government revoked the visas of several Haitian officials close to President Préval, threatened to deem Haiti's government illegitimate if the second round of elections was not announced by February 7, and implied that aid to the desperately poor country could be cut if the government did not accept the results that it wanted.

"This is a sad day for Haitian democracy. As in the coups of 1991 and 2004, the United States and its allies are trying to reverse the results of an election and decide who can be president of Haiti," CEPR Co-Director Mark Weisbrot said. "It will do nothing to fix an inherently flawed election that excluded several parties, and had the lowest voter participation for a presidential election in the Western Hemisphere in over 60 years."

CEPR released two reports on Haiti's election this month, including what appears to be the only independent recount of the 11,181 vote tally sheets from the first round of elections. CEPR also released a statistical analysis of the report [PDF] from the Organization of American States (OAS) "Experts" Mission. The OAS Mission Report provided the pretext for international pressure on the Haitian government to overturn the initial count from the November 28 elections, which had placed Celestin slightly ahead of Martelly.

CEPR's analysis of the OAS report found it to be "methodologically and statistically flawed," and reaching what "appears to be a political, and not a professional, decision" that favored Martelly. CEPR's own count of the tally sheets concluded that "Based on the numbers of irregularities, it is impossible to determine who should advance to a second round. If there is a second round, it will be based on arbitrary assumptions and/or exclusions."

"This also reflects badly on the major media, which has mostly gone along with this travesty," Weisbrot added. "The OAS report on the Haitian election was a politically orchestrated farce, but most of the press have simply accepted it without even asking the most obvious questions."

CEPR's reports conclude that only new elections - including all legitimate political parties - can ensure the will of the Haitian electorate is validated. The U.S. has publicly opposed holding new elections. "We simply want the will of the Haitian people to be respected and we are certainly in favor of the continuation of the elections," U.S. Ambassador to Haiti Kenneth Merten was reported as saying today.

The U.S. government is providing $14 million for Haiti's elections despite the Haitian electoral authorities' exclusion of over a dozen political parties, including the most popular, Fanmi Lavalas, and warnings from U.S. lawmakers that such unfair elections would "leave many Haitians to conclude that they have no choice but to protest the elections and the consequent government through social disruption."

Well you read it...

Now... Tell me what you think...

Do you agree that Jude Celestin being kicked out of the Haiti Presidential race is "Sad Day for Haitian Democracy?"

Reply with your comments.

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All Comments (9)

Mia28 says...

NOU MEN M AYISYEN TA SUPOZE WONTE DE TET NOU, BUT NAP JUGER MOUN PAR KARAKTER L...GET TO KNOW SOMEONE B4 JUMPING INTO

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Gerry says...

Try to see this scenario to the other way around: other candidates paying people to say they cannot vote, to trash the polling places, to steal the ballots and being super ready at noon on election day to talk about fraud & all. I think Mr. Martelly manipulated

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Solidarite Internationale says...

Get rid of those ill politicians is the best remedy that the democracy could offer.What else you think a politician trained by aristide can do fo a country?.If what preval did is a crime should those criminals be punish in accordance to the provision that the law can offer.Qui pro domine justicia sequitur.

Justice for

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Richelle says...

If he realy loves haiti why he paid a group of people to the balet fraud for him in other for him to be elect?you call that love, he looks like a kidnaper himself.

He should be in jail, also

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Marlene says...

I dont think its a sad day at all, its a fair decision that needs to be taking by his political party base on the proof of their fraudulent act...

Due to their action everything got delayed and the country face a political crisis.

And I wish the next candidates whoever run for president will learn from this year event...

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Korosol says...

Not at all. He should have not been a candidate in the first

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Lena says...

i know jude is a good man he loves his country the only mistake cause people dont like him because he was choose by preval so what?

michel loves haiti the same way please i want michel, jude, manigat, baby doc baker, and all candidat to work together no hard feeling to set haiti free in a bad situation comment we are all haitains united love each other for the future of our childreen and grand childreen peace and

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Ronald Altieri says...

I am so glad to have read this thought provoking article from CEPR. It is true that there is a lot of respect given to CEPR and in-depth analysis of key issues concerning the vital concept of Democracy and its ideas.

Ideal it would be for us to see a live debate with the CEPR Co-Director Mark Weisbrot and the US Ambassador to the

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Jenny says...

C EST PREVAL QUI A FAIT APPEL AUX AMERICAINS POUR METTE FIN A LA CRISE ELECTORALE, ALORS L, OEA A FAIT SON TRAVAIL, ET IL L A BIEN FAIT, CE N EST PAS UN TRISTE JOUR L EXPULSION DE JUDE CELESTIN, LOEA ET LE PEUPLE HAITIEN NE VEULENT PLUS CETTE TENDANCE HEREDITAIRE POUR LA GOUVERNANCE D HAITI DORENAVANT.

IL FAUT QUE CA CHANGE, ET CA VA CHANGER

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