Drive to register Haiti's voters.

• Author: Conaway, Janelle
• Position: OAS/INTER-AMERICAN SYSTEM

THE OAS IS giving key support to Haiti's Provisional Electoral Council (CEP) to conduct a massive voter-registration drive, in preparation for local, legislative, and presidential elections scheduled to take place later this year. The OAS Electoral Technical Assistance Program is part of a collaborative effort with the United Nations Stabilization Mission in Haiti (MINUSTAH).

As it strives to help register an estimated 4.4 million potential voters, the OAS hopes also to assist the CEP in creating a permanent electoral registry and to establish the foundation for a modern, integrated civil registry in Haiti. This would contribute to the country's long-term institutional development, OAS Acting Secretary General Luigi R. Einaudi said earlier this year.

Haiti needs the region's help to build democratic institutions and the rule of law, according to Einaudi, who said the vast majority of support for the UN-led effort there is coming from nations of the Western Hemisphere. Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Peru, and Uruguay have contributed some 80 percent of the MINUSTAH personnel, while the OAS has received major support for its electoral program in Haiti from the...