Rights & Democracy praises the courage of the Haitian people who went to the polls on Sunday, but remains deeply concerned about the conditions under which this first round of presidential and legislative elections took place. Reported incidents of violence, serious problems with regard to the registration and identification of voters, the general disorganization of the electoral process and the many allegations of electoral fraud testify to the fragility of the democratic process in Haiti.

"The Haitian people have once again proved their commitment to democracy by going to the polls despite the insecurity and the very difficult conditions in which they live," said Gérard Latulippe, President of Rights & Democracy. “It is hoped that the Haitian authorities and the international community will show the same commitment to democratic rights by ensuring a full investigation into the allegations of irregularities and electoral fraud. Under the circumstances, the eagerness with which the Provisional Electoral Council has validated the first round of these elections is concerning."

Rights & Democracy is concerned by reports that hundreds of thousands of Haitian men and women may not have been able to exercise their right to vote on Sunday either because they had no identification papers, were not registered to vote or were unable to identify their polling station. Rights & Democracy would like to recall that these problems linked to the national identification and civil registration system in Haiti are by no means new, and that they have been alarmingly amplified since the earthquake.

Learn more about Rights and Democracy :

Rights & Democracy (International Centre for Human Rights and Democratic Development) is a non-partisan organization with an international mandate, which was created in 1988 by the Canadian Parliament to encourage and support the universal values of human rights and promote democratic institutions and practices around the world.

Rights & Democracy has consultative status (category II) with the UN Economic and Social Council, is on the Special List of NGOs of the International Labour Organization and enjoys observer status with the African Commission on Human and Peoples' Rights.

HL/ HaitiLibre