What's New

Haiti Democracy Project web page item #794 (http://www.haitipolicy.org)

New and upcoming activities

Senatorial Delegation

Washington, D.C.

October 1–3, 2007

Madame Edmonde S. Beauzille, senator from Département du Centre, vice-president of the Senate of the Republic of Haiti

Sen. Evalliere Beauplan, Nord-Ouest	Sen. Rudolph H. Boulos, Nord-Est
Sen. Fouchard Bergrome,  Artibonite	Sen. Michel Clerie, Grand’ Anse

Visits to:

White House | State Department | Congress | International financial institutions | Organization of American States

Reception

Date: Tuesday, October 2, 2007

Time: 6:30 - 8:30 p.m.

Place: Embassy of Haiti, 2311 Massachusetts Ave., N.W.

Co-sponsors:

• Embassy of Haiti
• Haiti Democracy Project
• National Organization for the Advancement of Haitians

RSVP: Click here

President Preval coming to Washington week of May 6

Haitian embassy invites Haitian-Americans and general public to event with President Preval.

Date: Wednesday, May 9

Time: 6:30 p.m.

Place: Organization of American States, 17th St. and Constitution Ave.

RSVP: None

Other events on the president's agenda:

• Meeting with President Bush
• Address to U.S. Chamber of Commerce
• Award to HOPE suporters Sen. Mike DeWine and Rep. Charles B. Rangel

Date: Friday, March 30
Time: 1:00 p.m.
Place: Brookings Institution, Somers Room. 1755 Massachusetts Ave., NW, Washington, D.C.
RSVP: Click here

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The Long Campaign: A slide show about Rudy Boulos's senatorial campaign in the Nord-Est Department, 2005-2006. Covers:

• The campaign trail

• Election day

• Annulment

• Reelection

• Fraud interception

• The province's future

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Recent goings-on

 Saturday, March 24. 8:00 p.m. Community meeting in Boston. Randolph, Mass. Holiday Inn

Monday, March 26. 2:00 p.m. Haiti Democracy Project briefing of staff of House Western Hemisphere Subcommittee.

	Date: Friday, January 19, 2007 Time: 1:00 p.m. Place: Supreme Court West Conference Room Refreshments to be served RSVP: Click here   The board of the Haiti Democracy Project takes pleasure in inviting you to "Haiti 2006: The Year of Elections." A roundtable featuring the election observers of the Haiti Democracy Project A photo exhibit of the elections by Kathie Scarrah

 Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz (D-Fla.) will kick off the meeting

The dynamic young congresswoman from South Florida is moving into the top ranks of Haiti supporters. Also meet:

• Amb. Raymond A. Joseph, ambassador of Haiti to the United States
• Dan Whitman, author of A Haiti Chronicle

Click here for the electoral observers' preliminary report. (Click F11 for full-screeen.) The final report will be released at the conference.

Click here for a review of electoral issues in December 2006 and a profile of the observers.

On December 3, 2006, the Haiti Democracy Project deployed forty-one international observers, the largest international mission for that round. Half were Haitian-Americans. Previously it deployed sixteen for the first round and fifteen for the second. The Haiti Democracy Project is grateful to the Agency for International Development for its support of the third mission.

Thursday, October 12. Haiti Democracy Project joins in briefing new Southcom commander-in-chief

Admiral James Stavridis, new commandant of the Southern Command,  met with a number of Washington thinktanks for a briefing on conditions in the region. We discussed with him the outlook for political stability and economic recovery in Haiti and the best U.S. policies toward these ends. The Haiti Democracy Project was represented by executive director James Morrell and board nominee Gerald Gourdain.  Presenting were:

• James Morrell
• Gerald Gourdain
• Peter De Shazo, Center for Strategic and International Studies
• Eric Farnsworth, Council of the Americas
• Mark Schneider, International Crisis Group
• Stephen Johnson, Heritage Foundation
• Representatives of World Policy Center, Woodrow Wilson Center

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Thursday, October 12. New York fundraiser for state senator Kwame Raoul

It was a fundraiser for the highest-ranking Haitian-American elected official in the United States, state senator Kwame Raoul (D-13th):

• Date: Thursday, October 12
• Place: The Archive's Bar, New York Marriott at the Brooklyn Bridge, 333 Adams Street, Brooklyn, New York

Senator Raoul was a member of both our Haitian-American delegations and played a major role in persuading Congress to take up HOPE!

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• Date: Wed., Sept. 13,

• Time: 6-8 p.m,

• Place: DACOR Bacon House, 1801 F St. NW

• A vivid memoir of Lawrence Pezzullo's leadership of U.S. policy and his struggle to forge a viable Haitian state out of the doubtful material bequeathed to him. The best book on U.S. policy toward Haiti.

• Click here for book information

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A Delegation to Keep Hope Alive

September 7-8, 2006. "A Delegation to Keep Hope Alive."  Persuaded Reps. Charles B. Rangel, E. Clay Shaw, and others to introduce the HOPE bill. The bill was scheduled for House action on September 26, but pulled because of textile-state opposition. To be reintroduced in November.

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In 2006, the Haiti Democracy Project is undertaking initiatives in three major areas:

• A program to increase the clout of the Haitian-American community on the U.S. political process concerning its homeland

• Electoral observation and assuring the completion of free and fair elections

• Dissemination of information about the struggle against corruption

Read on for latest activities of the three programs:

•    August 19, 6:00-9:00 p.m. Haitian-American empowerment. Conference with New York Haitian-American community. Object: Increase community's clout in U.S. political process. Special guest: Samuel Dalembert, star center of the Philadelphia Seventy-Sixers. The event took place at the Ambiance Restaurant, 9413 Avenue L in Brooklyn.

• August 8. Struggle against corruption. A Haiti Democracy Project delegation to the State Department to advise continued U.S. support for the lawsuit of the Haitian government against former president Aristide and others for embezzlement. Launched by the Latortue government, the case has been temporarily withdrawn by the Preval administration, to prevent dismissal by Miami federal court.  

• July 15. Electoral observation.  Slide show titled "Annulled: The Story of an Election." Posted on this webpage. Eighty thousand senatorial votes in the Nord-Est department went into the trash; why? And can Haiti consolidate a legitimate government if a whole department's senatorial vote is so casually discarded?

• June 20-21. Delegation of Haitian-American leaders to Washington. Saw administration, ten members of Congress in effort to restore aid to Haiti. Raised profile of Haitian-Americans in the policy process. Photos. Report.

• May 25, 2006. Electoral observation. Jacques Bernard, director of Haiti's electoral commission, reported on his successful completion of second round after his return, which was initiated at our first seminar with him in February. "Haiti's Elections: What's Been Done, What Remains." Click here for a resume. Click here for photos. A slide show of the elections and observation of first round were shown by Kathie Scarrah, Haiti Democracy Project observer for the first round. She is a freelance reporter currently on assignment for the Associated Press.
• May 19. Electoral observation. James Morrell, director of the Haiti Democracy Project, writes on Haitian elections in the Inter-American Dialogue's Latin America Adviser . Pdf file.
• May 18. Haitian-American empowerment. Haitian-American affiliates of the project visit the White House to make contact with top members of the administration who have the president's ear, including Karl Rove. Click here.
• May 12. Haitian-American empowerment. Haiti Democracy Project meets in Philadelphia with top Seventy-Sixers star Samuel Dalembert who commits to activities to support his homeland. Click here.
• May 3. Haitian-American empowerment.  Rev. Garry Theodate, a Boston leader of the Haitian-American community who observed both rounds for the Haiti Democracy Project, analyzes the elections for Boston's Radio Nouveaute.
• April 27. Struggle against corruption. At a meeting of the Millennium Challenge Corporation in Washington, Amb. Ernest H. Preeg, the chairman of the project, advocates moving Haiti to threshold status given the progress against corruption now possible on the basis of the recent successful elections.
• April 26. Electoral observation. The chief of our Port-au-Prince mission reports on improvments achieved.
• April 25. Haitian-American empowerment. A step to unity taken as two Haitian-American youth organizations affiliate with the Haiti Democracy Project.
• April 21. Electoral observation. The project fields sixteen international observers in the second round.
• April 18. Haitian-American empowerment. Members of the project join a thousand Haitian-Americans to greet President-elect Preval in Washington. Photos.
• March 30. Electoral observation. Paul Pumphrey, a first-round observer for the project in the Nord department, presents at the Washington Peace Center.
• March 29. Haitian-American empowerment. Haiti Democracy Project affiliates meet with Sen. Bill Nelson (D-Fla.) to discuss pragmatic steps for Haiti.
• March 27. Electoral observation.  Shawnta Walcott, who observed in Port-au-Prince for the project, and James Morrell, who observed in the Nord-Est, present at American University.
• March 25. Struggle against corruption. Project meets with French mission to United Nations to present data on the Haitian government's lawsuit against Aristide et al. for recovery of embezzled funds.
• March 11. Electoral observation. Haiti Democracy Project releases preliminary findings, mostly supportive, but questioning misallocation of presidential blank ballots.
• March 6. Electoral observation. Haitian press reports on project seminar that led to return of Jacques Bernard, director of electoral commission.
• March 5. Electoral observation. Jacques Bernard returns to Haiti to administer second after negotiations broached at project seminar.
• March 3. Dissemination of information. Inter-American Commission on Human Rights prevents partisan groups from using hearing for anti-U.N. propaganda, after project alert. Associated Press story.
• March 1. Dissemination of information. Haiti Democracy Project warns of plans to use Inter-American Commission on Human Rights hearing for propaganda against U.N. mission in Haiti. Statement.
• March 1. Electoral observation. Haiti Democracy Project observer Shawnta Walcott recounts election for Miami Herald.
• March 1. Electoral observation. Haiti Democracy Project observer John Merrill analyzes election for USA Today.
• February 27. Electoral observation. Haiti Democracy Project seminar with Jacques Bernard leads to his return. Photos.
• February 27. Electoral observation. Haiti Democracy Project seminar with Jacques Bernard. Resume.
• February 27. Electoral observation. Project describes sequence of events that led to Bernard's flight.
• February 24. Electoral observation. Project analyzes election of Preval for National Public Radio.
• February 17. Electoral observation.  Project's report on Port-au-Prince vote criticizes misallocation of blank presidential ballots. First foreign observer mission to do so.
• February 14. Electoral observation. Project issues logistical recommendations for improvement of second round, based on lessons learned in Port-au-Prince observation.
• February 7. Electoral observation. Project fields seven international observers in Nord-Est department. Photos.  More photos.
• February 7. Electoral observation. Project fields eight observers in Port-au-Prince. Photos.
• February 7. Electoral observation. Project observers monitor vote in Cite Soleil.
• February 7. Electoral observation. Project fields eight observers in Port-au-Prince, five in Nord-Est, two in Nord. Seven more prevented from crossing by Dominican authorities.
• January 27. Haitian-American empowerment. Haiti Democracy Project organizes Haitian-Americans in informational rally in New York for proactive U.N. role.
• January 18. Haitian-American empowerment. Project takes mission of Haitian-American leaders to U.N. to plead for more proactive role of U.N. force in Haiti. Schedule and members.  Photos.
• January 17. Election observation. Preliminary data on Haiti Democracy Project observers.
• January 16. Dissemination of information. Exclusive translation of year-end review by noted Haitian commentator Michel Soukar
• January 15. Dissemination of information. Exclusive publication of an original and penetrating analysis by a longtime foreign resident in Haiti, from social-democratic viewpoint, edited by project.
• January 14. Dissemination of information. Publication of article analyzing Haitian violence, by prizewinning Haitian reporter Nancy Roc, exclusive to Haiti Democracy Project.
• January 12. Haitian-American empowerment. Project publishes article in Inter-American Dialogue's Latin America Adviser that sets analytical framework for January 18 visit to U.N. of Haitian-American leaders. Pdf file.
• January 4. Dissemination of information on corruption. Haiti Democracy Project investigator Lucy Komisar, the prizewinning independent journalist, details the Aristide money trail in the leftist Guerrilla News Network.
• January 3. Dissemination of information on corruption. Lucy Komisar reports in Corpwatch.
• January 1. Dissemination of information on corruption. Cartoon presentation of Aristide embezzlement in Corpwatch, generated by project research.

   Click here for project activities 2002-May 24, 2005

Click here for Haiti Democracy Project annual report 2004.

Haiti Democracy Project web page item #794 (http://www.haitipolicy.org)