| Parliament name (generic / translated) |
Assemblée nationale / National Assembly |
| Structure of parliament |
Bicameral |
| Chamber name (generic / translated) |
Sénat / Senate |
| Related chamber (for bicameral parliaments) |
Chambre des Députés / Chamber of Deputies
|
| BACKGROUND |
| Dates of election / renewal (from/to) (from/to) | 19 April 2009
21 June 2009 |
| Purpose of elections |
Elections were held for 12 of the Senate seats. |
On 7 January 2009
President René Préval issued a decree setting the date for partial elections to the Senate for 19 April. The renewal of ten Senate seats elected in February 2006 for a two-year term was constitutionally due by April 2008
but had been delayed for various reasons. By-elections to two other vacant seats were jointly held with the 2009 elections.
In the previous elections held in February and April 2006 in parallel with the presidential elections
the Front for Hope (Lespwa)
took 11 of the 30 seats in the Senate. Lespwa leader
Mr. René Préval
won the presidential elections. The party had been created by former members of the Lavalas Family Party
which itself had been established by former president Jean-Bertrand Aristide
ousted in February 2004. In the 2006 elections
the Lavalas Family Party took three seats
while the Haitian Social-Democratic Fusion Party won five and the People's Struggle Party (OPL) four seats. The remainder went to small parties.
Upon assuming office as President in May 2006
Mr. Préval nominated Mr. Jacques Édouard Alexis as Prime Minister. His nomination was unanimously approved by both chambers. However
many Lespwa members and President Préval's allies subsequently formed the Coalition of Parliamentarians for Progress (CPP)
as they gradually became disenchanted with the government's economic policies.
In February 2008
Prime Minister Alexis survived the first move to oust him by the CPP. Two months later
violent street protests over food prices broke out
killing five people. CPP members in the Senate criticized the government's handling of the crisis as being "too little too late" and demanded that the Prime Minister resign within two days. On 12 April
the Senate voted to dismiss the Prime Minister. Two candidates for the premiership - Mr. Éricq Pierre and Mr. Robert Manuel - were rejected by the CPP in the Chamber of Deputies. Due to the political stalemate
the Senate elections could not take place.
The Chamber of Deputies and the Senate endorsed Ms. Michèle Duvivier Pierre-Louis as Prime Minister on 29 August and 8 September respectively. In the same months
the country of 9.8 million inhabitants was hit by a series of hurricanes that killed nearly 800 people and caused damage amounting to 15 per cent of the gross national product (GNP). The post-hurricane confusion further delayed the Senate elections.
In the meantime
Canada
the European Union and the United States agreed to pay for a large part of the election-related costs: US$ 12.5 of the total US$ 16 million. The elections were subsequently called for April 2009.
The 2009 elections were marked by controversy over the rejection of candidates from the Lavalas Family Party. On 6 February 2009
the Provisional Electoral Council (CEP)
Haiti's election commission
barred all 17 candidates of the Lavalas Family Party from the Senate race for failing to submit an accompanying letter signed by the party leader
Mr. Aristide (who now lives in South Africa). On 2 March
many supporters of the Lavalas Family Party participated in a demonstration calling for Mr. Aristide's return and the participation of the party in the Senate elections. Despite a local court order and pressure from the United Nations and President Préval
the CEP refused to overturn its decision.
In the end
78 candidates from 32 parties were allowed to take part in the Senate race. They include the Lespwa
the OPL
the Christian Movement for a New Haiti (MOCHRENA)
the Haitian Social-Democratic Fusion Party
and the Rally of Progressive National Democrats (RDNP).
President Préval called on voters to give his Lespwa party a majority in the Senate. Earlier
the President had hinted at his intention to amend the 1987 Constitution to increase the powers of the executive and allow the president to seek two consecutive terms.
The Lavalas Family Party called for a boycott of the election under its "Operation Closed Door" campaign. Prime Minister Pierre-Louis criticized the call for a boycott.
Turnout in the first round was reportedly very low
at around 11 per cent of the 4.5 million registered voters. A large number of eligible voters reportedly had not received their national identification card.
Although several sporadic incidents of violence and intimidation were reported
the elections went relatively smoothly for the most part. However
in the Central Department
one election commission officer was shot and wounded and a number of ballot boxes were destroyed. The CEP invalidated the elections in several constituencies of that Department.
On 28 April
the CEP announced that no candidates had secured a majority to be elected in the first round and that run-off elections would take place on 7 June. The run-off elections were subsequently postponed to 21 June.
The Lavalas Family Party continued to call for a boycott in the second round. No official turnout figures for the second round was announced but turnout was expected to be lower than in the first round.
The final results were announced on 24 July
and gave six seats to the Lespwa party. Four other parties took one seat each and one independent candidate was elected. The results in the Central Department were invalidated
leaving one vacant seat. No women were elected.
Some sitting senators rejected the final results
arguing that massive fraud had been committed during the second round of voting in the departments of Artibonite and South. The validation of the newly-elected senators was postponed as a result.
On 4 September
the Senate validated the newly-elected members
paving the way for the Bureau of the outgoing legislature to resign.
On 9 September
the Senate re-elected Mr. Kelly C. Bastien (Lespwa) as its President. |
| STATISTICS |
| Voter turnout |
| Round no 2 | 21 June 2009 |
Number of registered electors
Voters
Blank or invalid ballot papers
Valid votes |
|
|
Notes
|
|
| Distribution of votes |
|
Round no 2
|
| Political Group |
Candidates |
Votes |
|
|
% |
|
|
| Front for Hope (Lespwa) |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Haiti Acts (Ayiti an Aksyon
AAA) |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Haitian Social-Democratic Fusion Party |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Cooperative Action to Build Haiti (KONBA) |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| People's Struggle Party (OPL) |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Independents |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Distribution of seats |
|
Round no 2
|
| Political Group |
Total
|
|
|
|
|
| Front for Hope (Lespwa) |
6
|
|
|
|
|
| Haiti Acts (Ayiti an Aksyon
AAA) |
1
|
|
|
|
|
| Haitian Social-Democratic Fusion Party |
1
|
|
|
|
|
| Cooperative Action to Build Haiti (KONBA) |
1
|
|
|
|
|
| People's Struggle Party (OPL) |
1
|
|
|
|
|
| Independents |
1
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Distribution of seats according to sex |
Men
Women
Percent of women |
11
0
0.00%
|
| Distribution of seats according to age |
|
|
|
| Distribution of seats according to profession |
|
|
| Comments |
No candidate was elected at the first round. There is one vacant seat.
Sources:
- Senate (25.07.2009)
- Conseil électoral provisoire (22.07.2009)
- http://www.cep-ht.org/ |
Compare data for parliamentary chambers in the Last elections module
