Haitians hope upcoming election will bring change, hope to country

World Today

Haitians will go to the polls on Sunday to elect a new President—a process that has been repeatedly delayed following allegations of fraud, and more recently last month’s Hurricane Matthew, which caused more than 1,000 deaths and widespread damage to the Caribbean nation.

CCTV’s Stephen Gibbs reports from Port-au- Prince.

Just over twelve hours remain before polls open in Port-au-Prince, and while there are some Haitians wondering if this election will yet be cancelled, it does still appear to be on.

But, across Port au Prince, the din of final election rallies is everywhere. One was for for Maryse Narcisse–a close ally of Haiti’s controversial and twice exiled former president Aristide.

This long-delayed vote has been a dizzying process, where there are now 27 candidates.

That is, at least, fewer than the 54 who put their names forward when this same election was last held in October 2015. The result of that election was later contested, and the re-run has been postponed three times.

Since February, a caretaker president, Jocelerme Privert, has ruled Haiti. In the last weeks, he has had to cope with the aftermath of the disastrous hurricane Matthew. In the small fishing village of Lully, just north of Port au Prince, the weak Haitian state barely touches the lives of people there, as it is a society accustomed to fending for itself.

“I am going to vote because the country needs to change. But I personally don’t have a candidate yet,” said Enoch Laguerre, a Haitian Fisherman who is an undecided voter.

Laguerre’s main complaint is that the government has done nothing to help him recover from the hurricane, which swept away the main bedroom of his home. Seven people still live there.

“The recent hurricane has destroyed my house. And there have been no government officials that have come here to see what our needs are,” Laguerre said.

All the candidates have made promises that they can make a change there. One is saying he will bring about 100,000 new jobs in 100 days another that Haiti is on the brink of 12 percent growth.

Away from the frantic campaign trails, we found most Haitians weary of the broken pledges of politicians.