A senior United Nations official called on Haiti Thursday to bring a quick end to the political crisis that followed its inconclusive presidential election late last year.
Alain LeRoy, the United Nations Under-Secretary-General for Peacekeeping Operations, urged the international community to impress upon Haiti’s political leaders the need to set aside their narrow partisan interests and work towards a better future for their country.
"Since the announcement of the preliminary result of the election last December, Haiti has been paralyzed by political uncertainty," said LeRoy. "After a year marked by the devastating earthquake of 12 January 2010, and the ongoing cholera epidemic, it is of paramount importance that the current political crisis is brought to a swift conclusion so that the government and people of Haiti can focus on the challenges of reconstruction and recovery.
Election results
A mission of the Organization of American States, invited by Haiti, has recommended changes in the preliminary results of Haiti’s presidential election. U.N. official LeRoy, speaking to the U.N. Security Council, called on Haiti’s provisional electoral commission to act on those recommendations. If the commission decides otherwise, LeRoy said, Haiti may well be faced with a constitutional crisis, with the possibility of considerable unrest and insecurity.
United States ambassador Susan Rice told the Security Council meeting on Haiti the findings of the O.A.S. mission offer a way forward toward improving credibility and public confidence in the presidential electoral process in Haiti.
"Sustained support from the international community, including the United States, requires a credible process that represents the will of the Haitian people, as expressed by their votes," said Rice.
Rice urged Haitian authorities to outline a very clear way forward that will lead promptly to the inauguration of a legitimate and democratically elected government.
UN Urges Haiti to End Political Crisis
- By Larry Freund
