1993 Haitian Senate election explained

Partial Senate elections were held in Haiti on 18 January 1993 to elect one-third of the 27-member Senate.[1] The elections were held alongside by-elections for one seat in the Senate and three in the Chamber of Deputies.[2]

Held under the rule of Raoul Cédras (who had overthrown the democratically elected government in a 1991 coup) and overseen by Marc Bazin,[3] the elections were declared illegitimate by the Permanent Council of the Organization of American States.[1] The members elected were supportive of the coup.[3]

Aftermath

On 2 March, police and soldiers entered Parliament to try to remove 13 parliamentarians elected in 1990 in order to ensure the newly elected members could take their place.[3] The presence of the members elected in the 1993 elections was an additional obstacle in the negotiations to return to civilian rule;[4] however, it was agreed that they would not take their seats.[5]

Notes and References

  1. Crisis in Haiti: Seeking a Political Solution, United Nations Department of Public Information
  2. Freedom in the World: The Annual Survey of Political Rights and Civil Liberties, 1992-1993, p687
  3. David Malone (1998) Decision-making in the UN Security Council: The Case of Haiti, 1990-1997, Clarendon Press, p262
  4. Malone, p79
  5. United Nations Peace-keeping Information Notes 1995, p 193