FOLLOWING the example of the United States, Haiti has elected as its new president a businessman with no experience in government. Jovenel Moïse, the smooth-domed nominee of the Haitian Shaved-Head Party (this is where the parallel with the American election breaks down), won outright in the first round of voting, held on November 20th. His plans for governing his impoverished country are fuzzy. If Mr Moïse simply brings political stability, many Haitians will be grateful.
That is no certainty. Last month’s election was a re-run of a vote in October 2015, the results of which were annulled after several candidates alleged electoral malpractice. They included Jude Célestin, a leftist, who had come second to Mr Moïse. He fared no better in the re-run. Mr Moïse beat the field decisively, taking 56% of the vote, according to preliminary results. Haitian and international observers said the election was conducted fairly.
But there are problems. Turnout was a miserable 21%. It was held down by the devastation caused by Hurricane Matthew, which struck Haiti’s south-west in October, and by voters’ disillusionment with politics and...Continue reading
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