Hti: Aristide not democratically elected

On Monday 22nd March 2004, a Haitian lady appeared on CBC TV’s “Morning Barbados” putting a case for the reinstatement of Mr. Aristide. She noted that Mr. Aristide had 18 months to go and should have been allowed to complete his term.

In order to present another view, I propose to share an edited letter from Haiti, which charged that, “Aristide was not a democratically elected president”. I must warn readers that the standard of the English is not good, but sufficient to be understood.

The writer stated: “I stand behind principles. The same that make me fight during more than three years in exile for the return of Aristide. I refused several position offers in past governments and I have just done so once more. I am a professional but I am a proud Haitian citizen.”

The letter continues, “In fact, according to the article 289 of the 1987 Constitution, ‘no election can be held outside of an electoral law elaborated by the CEP (Provisory Electoral Council)’. Now, it happens that the electoral law of July 9,1999 was taken only to accomplish the legislative, the municipal and the local elections. No provision was ever made for presidential elections. Actually, another electoral law should have been taken for this presidential election.
...
“The current crisis is thus not, as one pleases to let believe, the business of the Haitian actors alone.

“Most of us were peacefully taking the streets at our own risks. Aristide henchmen have killed some of us and hundreds have been injured. So we, Haitian people, did not call foreign troops to do whatever for us. Aristide did. However they do not come for what he wanted.

“We have seen ten(s) of thousand(s) demonstrating under Aristide(’s) henchmen(s) bullets guns for months. I do not have any sympathy for the rebels but the population welcomed them (and) that is why it was so easy for less than 50 rebels to control half of the country in less than two weeks. I think some of those guys belong to jail, but it is another story.

It's a lengthy piece. Read the rest of it for yourself.