Haiti publishes details of $55M million election budget

By Senabri Silvestri

SANTO DOMINGO, Dom. Rep. (AA) – Haiti’s electoral commission on Wednesday officially announced details of its $55 million budget required to execute upcoming presidential elections.

The figure includes the cost of logistics to be developed between October and March 2017, including the payment of technical assistance, the Provisional Electoral Council (CEP) said in a document posted on its website.

A portion of the amount will be transferred later this week by the government that plans to deliver $21 million to the CEP by the end of next month, local media reported.

"The Ministry of Finance will execute them”, presidential adviser Daly Valet said, according to the Haiti Free online newspaper.

Haiti will rerun presidential elections Oct. 9, following recommendations by an independent commission that disqualified last year´s vote after uncovering widespread fraud.

Funding for the elections, however, has been complicated by a refusal to contribute by the United States which has suspended its assistance claiming it had already donated $33 million to the first round of elections.

The poorest country of the Western Hemisphere will also conduct a second round of legislative elections and a vote for the Upper House of Congress.

If no candidate receives a majority of vote a second round will be held next year, beginning in January.

Haiti has postponed run-off elections three times that were originally scheduled for Dec. 27, 2015, due to allegations of fraud that have caused deadly social unrest and violence across the country.

Jovenel Moise of the Haitian Tet Kale Party led all votes during the first round of voting.

Former President Michel Martelly left office in February without a successor but signed an agreement with leading lawmakers to name Jocelemer Privert interim head of state.