Sec. John Kerry Stops in Haiti to Discuss Election Preparations

On Tuesday,U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry Secretary of State John Kerry was in Port-au-Prince, Haiti to discuss the upcoming Oct. 25 elections with President Michel Martelly. U.S. Embassy. While there Kerry urged Haitians to vote in upcoming elections and said there was no place for violence or intimidation.

According to Washington Post

U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry stopped in Haiti’s capital on Tuesday to discuss preparations for the country’s upcoming elections and encourage people to refrain from disrupting balloting after a messy parliamentary first round in August.

In some districts, legislative elections held Aug. 9 were so plagued with disorder and voter intimidation that makeup elections will have to be held in more than two dozen constituencies. Monitors with the Organization of American States said the irregularities were not enough to invalidate overall results.

“Haiti needs governing institutions that are legitimate and representative, and those cannot come into being without free and fair elections that take part without intimidation, without violence,” Kerry said on the grounds of Haiti’s National Palace in Port-au-Prince.

Haiti will hold its first round of presidential elections on Oct. 25 at the same time as runoffs for legislative seats. With none of the 54 presidential candidates likely to dominate voting, this month’s election is expected to force the two highest vote-getters into a Dec. 27 runoff to become Haiti’s next leader.

With outgoing President Michel Martelly at his side, Kerry encouraged Haitians to listen to those candidates who offer “real plans” to advance the country, noting there needs to be confidence in the political system to help attract investment and jobs.

He said the U.S. and the rest of the international community hope that the Oct. 25 elections will be a “smoother process” than what took place in August. – Continue Reading Here..