Featured Photo: Haitians voting on February 7, 2006 (Marcello Casal Jr.)
By Elena Tiralongo with collaboration from Gvaram Khandamishvili, Research Associate at COHA
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Presidential elections should be an opportunity for ordinary citizens to have a say in the future of their country. The period before an election is a time for citizens to hear what presidential candidates have planned for their country and to decide which of them represents his or her best interests. In Haiti, presidential elections represent for some a chance to run for office and therefore the opportunity to get a secure job; yet, for many Haitians the elections represent nothing, because they feel that nothing will change. In fact, Haitians participating in the first voting round of the parliamentary elections comprise only 18 percent of the registered voters while 54 candidates ran for President.[1] [2] This article aims to explain such low political participation and analyzes the reasons why Haitians have little trust in the democratic process. |
