The European Union (EU) which finance the organization of general elections in Haiti for an amount of 5 million euros (about $7MM) sent this week to Haiti, a mission of 7 electoral experts to support Haitian electoral process.

The EU delegation arrived yesterday Wednesday in Haiti. 7 electoral experts come to support Haiti's electoral process. The team led by Marie Violet Caesar, will remain in Haiti until December. Its mission is to assess the legal and political context, to follow the electoral process and make recommendations on the electoral process and EU assistance to come in this domain.

The team is composed of electoral experts: Alban Biaussat and Anne Serafini, the political scientist Philippe De Bard, the jurist Tommaso Caprioglio, the expert in human rights and gender issues Letizia Tirone and the logistics expert Patrice Chanuel.

This electoral mission complements the overall support provided by the European Union to the electoral process through among other the funding of the organization of elections for an amount of 5 million euros (about $7MM). This support is completed by the funding of two elections observation projects : by the Haitian civil society driven respectively by the National Election Observation (CNO) and the National Defense these human rights (RNDDH) for an amount of 600,000 euros (about $820.000).

The European Union also contributes to strengthening the electoral process by funding the program "Global Leadership for the Reconstruction of Haiti (Leadership Global pour la Reconstruction d'Haïti) led by the Club of Madrid for an amount of 500,000 euros (more than $680,000). This program lasting 18 months offers assistance to the Haitian leaders and the institutional structure of Haiti for a better reflection on their role in reconstruction and restoration of the country.

The EU contribution to Haiti's electoral process is finally completed with the financial contribution and human of its Member States to observe the elections via the Organization of American States (OAS) and CARICOM. France ($277.777), Spain ($212.236) and Finland ($288.099) also contribute to the financing of election observation of the OAS-CARICOM. Also, France and Spain have sent respectively 16 and 10 electoral observers.

HL/ HaitiLibre