Haiti

(Quelle: UN News) As investigators began probing the death of the senior military official leading the United Nations peacekeeping operation in Haiti, a 58-year old Brazilian general who was found dead today in Port au Prince, UN officials praised his legacy of peace. In New York, a spokesman for Secretary-General Kofi Annan said he was “shocked and saddened” to learn of the death of Lieutenant-General Urano Teixeira Da Matta Bacellar, Force Commander of the UN Stabilization Mission in Haiti (MINUSTAH), who was discovered in his accomodations.

(Quelle: New York Times) Haiti's election officials say the Organization of American States and the United Nations caused the latest postponement of presidential and legislative elections by failing to distribute voter cards and set up polling stations. Rosemond Pradel, secretary general of the Provisional Electoral Council, said over the weekend that the OAS had not lived up to a commitment to distribute voter identification cards in time for a Jan. 8 vote. Officials for the O.A.S. and the United Nations rejected the accusations.

(Quelle: taz) Chaos bei der Vorbereitung, aber auch tiefes Misstrauen der politischen Kräfte untereinander haben zum fünften Mal zu einer Verschiebung der Wahlen in Haiti geführt. Viele unterstellen dem Interimsministerpräsidenten Latortue inzwischen Absicht. Ein neuer Termin für den Urnengang, der nach vier vorangegangenen Verschiebungen eigentlich am 8. Januar stattfinden sollte, ist noch nicht bekannt. Sicher scheint nunmehr, dass die laut Verfassung eigentlich zwingend für spätestens 7. Februar terminierte Amtseinführung einer neuen Regierung nicht pünktlich stattfinden kann.

(Quelle: BBC) Two members of the Organization of American States (OAS) and one of their spouses kidnapped in Haiti have been freed, the group has said. … The officials were working towards presidential elections, scheduled for 8 January, which are now thought to have been postponed for a fourth time. An official announcement has not been made, but electoral workers say conditions for holding the vote have not been met.

(Quelle: Reliefweb) The United Nations Assistance Mission in Haiti (MINUSTAH) today announced that one of its peacekeepers was fatally injured on Friday after he was shot in the head when his armoured vehicle came under attack in troubled Cité Soleil. Captain Yousef Algader, a 31-year old Jordanian, was immediately transferred to a military hospital but did not survive his injuries.

(Quelle: Reliefweb) Haiti's presidential election scheduled for January 8 could face another delay, officials said. Max Mathurin, the chairman of the provision election council, said more than 2 million people of the 3.4 million eligible voters had still not receiving voter cards. The first presidential elections since former president Jean-Bertrand Aristide was ousted in February 2004 were originally scheduled for November 13 before being pushed back to December 20, then December 27 and finally to the January date.

(Quelle: Reliefweb) Retired Royal Canadian Mounted Police officer Mark Bourque and another peacekeeper were patrolling in a Port-au-Prince slum when they were ambushed by two unknown gunmen. … Bourque is the seventh peacekeeper who has been killed in Haiti since the UN mission began in June of 2004. He was one of 25 retired police officers that Canada sent to the Caribbean country in October to join the UN mission that has been trying to provide stability before a national election.

(Quelle: Reliefweb) The Secretary General of the Organization of American States (OAS), José Miguel Insulza, assured the Interim Prime Minister of Haiti, Gérard Latortue, of his confidence in the electoral process scheduled to take place at the beginning of the year and said the foundation has been laid for 'democratic rebuilding' in Haiti. Speaking to a protocolary meeting of the Permanent Council, Insulza underscored the work that the OAS, in collaboration with the United Nations, has carried out in Haiti to help register more than 3.5 million citizens, an estimated 80% of the eligible voting population.

(Quelle: UN News) The United Nations peacekeeping mission in Haiti has welcomed the official new dates set by the Caribbean country’s Provisional Electoral Council (CEP) for elections, saying informal proposals for previous dates had failed to take into account the technical requirements. The Council has set 8 January for presidential and legislative elections and 15 February for run-off elections. The Transitional Government had previously set 27 December for the elections and 7 February for the inauguration of the newly elected President.

(Quelle: Reliefweb) With the Security Council having decided to strengthen the United Nations peacekeeping missions in Côte d'Ivoire and Haiti, the General Assembly has approved increases in funding for both missions over the year ending next June.