From the Worldwide Faith News archives www.wfn.org


LWF, WCC urge support for Haiti's elections


From FRANK_IMHOFF.parti@ecunet.org
Date 18 Feb 2000 08:18:00

Reply-to: FRANK_IMHOFF.parti@ecunet.org

Agencies asked to contribute to poll observer initiative  
 
GENEVA, 18 February 2000 (lwi) - The Lutheran World Federation (LWF) and the
World Council of Churches (WCC) are calling on their related agencies to
support their joint initiative for an international ecumenical election
observer mission to Haiti in March/April 2000. 
 
Saying that the LWF and its partners believe that the coming elections
represent a key issue for the Haitian people, the Federation through its
Department for World Service (DWS) and the WCC through its Cluster on
Relations are urging for financial support totaling some USD 214,000 as well
as the nomination of 22 international observers who are ready to spend a total
of 55 days or less in Haiti to monitor the first round of elections
anticipated on 19 March and the second one on 30 April 2000. 
 
In a letter addressed to potential supporting agencies, the LWF and WCC state
that the purpose of the ecumenical electoral observer mission is "* to
contribute through a physical presence during the next election - to the
consolidation of the democratic process in Haiti" and to demonstrate the
churches' commitment towards the Haitian population. 
 
The DWS has followed and supported over a number of years the reconciliation
and democratization process in Haiti. In the country's polarized society, the
LWF and the Federation of Protestant Churches in Haiti (FPH) have been able to
establish good confidence and trust among civil society. For this reason and
the impartiality shown in the "LWF Democracy and Civil Society Program", the
partners among the Provisional Electoral Council (CEP) asked the LWF/DWS
Caribbean/Haiti Program to play a major role in the electoral process in
collaboration with other church partners. The Organization of American States
(OAS) will be in charge of the international observers. 
 
Despite some progress in establishing a democratic process and undertaking
economic reforms, the Central American country still has an unstable political
situation. The concern for modernization of the institutions and the
establishment of a more dynamic, constructive and structured political
dialogue is a key concern for the civil society through such groups as unions,
human rights and women's organization as well as churches. Against such a
background, the coming election is considered as a crossroad. 
 
(The LWF is a global communion of 128 member churches in 70 countries
representing nearly 59.5 million of the world's 63.1 million Lutherans. Its
highest decision-making body is the Assembly held every six or seven years.
Between Assemblies, the LWF is governed by a 49-member Council, which meets
annually, and by its Executive Committee. The LWF secretariat is located in
Geneva, Switzerland.) 
 
*       *       * 
 
LUTHERAN WORLD INFORMATION 
PO Box 2100, CH-1211 Geneva 2, Switzerland 
Assistant Editor (English): Pauline Mumia 
E-mail: pmu@lutheranworld.org 
http://www.lutheranworld.org/ 


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