WASHINGTON – The Assistant Secretary General of the Organization of American States (OAS), Ambassador Albert Ramdin, today met with the Director of the United Nations Electoral Assistance Division and Haiti Mission Chief, Tadjoudine Ali-Diabacté.
At the meeting, they exchanged views on past visits of their organizations to the Caribbean nation to conduct needs assessments and lay the groundwork for the presidential elections that are scheduled for the end of the year, as established by the Haitian Constitution.
Agreeing on most of the conclusions reached, the two agreed to work jointly and in a coordinated way to support Haiti before, during and after the vote count. “We want to go towards elections and have a legitimate government with a president, vice president, and a legislative framework,” said the Assistant Secretary General.
For his part, UN representative Tadjoudine Ali-Diabacté said that “we must speak with one voice and coordinate, in many ways, to support the Haitian people who need our help.”
Ambassador Albert Ramdin
During the meeting, Ambassador Ramdin made a comprehensive presentation on the technical support that the OAS, through its Department for Electoral Cooperation and Observation (DECO), has provided and will deliver during the elections. “We will assist in the registration, distribution, and printing of registration cards and work with new voters’ lists,” he stated, promising then that the OAS will provide “technical assistance called for by the Provisional Electoral Council (CEP) with staff training to manage the databases and applications from Oracle.” Finally, Ambassador Ramdin said he would establish “technical advisory capacity in the tabulation center, the equipment, and the operators.”
The OAS will send an Electoral Observation Mission for the Haitian elections “that will materialize as we move forward in the elections,” said Assistant Secretary General Ramdin.
