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WORLD NEWSWednesday 21 October

Haiti’s small-scale election economy in full swing

A man carries a campaign poster promoting presidential candidate Steeve Khawly, of the Bou- and the sheer numbers of we will be calm,” Thomas
clier political party, to a rally in Port-au-Prince, Haiti. For a few weeks at least, there’s the promise jobless young people who said. His friends nodded
of regular money to be made as human billboards, protesters for hire or paid shills for candidates have to hustle to eke out a their heads in agreement.
amid a national election that features 54 presidential candidates, only a handful of whom have living. This year’s unprecedented
even faint name recognition among the vast majority of the population. For even the vaguest hint three rounds of balloting
of a little cash and a few will pick Haiti’s next presi-
(AP Photo/Dieu Nalio Chery) swigs of rum, recruits will dent, two-thirds of the Sen-
dutifully show up to cheer ate, the entire 119-member
DAVID McFADDEN “I don’t know much about willing to do just about any- at rallies, spray-paint slo- Chamber of Deputies and
Associated Press these political people. But thing for meager reward. gans on walls, paper the numerous local offices. The
PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti (AP) they promised to pay me For a few weeks at least, city with campaign post- Oct. 25 vote is expected to
— A young man stands something, so I’m trying to there’s the promise of regu- ers or deface those of a clear the sprawling presi-
on a busy street corner in do some work,” said Masi- lar money to be made as competitor. Some will even dential field for a runoff
the Haitian capital wear- er, a struggling 24-year-old human billboards, protest- stage violent demonstra- Dec. 27 between the top
ing the campaign logo of resident of a hillside slum ers for hire or paid shills for tions, stuff ballot boxes or two finishers.
one presidential candidate overlooking downtown candidates amid a nation- make them disappear on Celso Amorim, chief of the
on his sweat-soaked T-shirt, Port-au-Prince, where the al election that features 54 election day if political or- Organization of American
the name of another em- presidential palace stood presidential candidates, ganizers shell out enough States’ electoral observa-
blazoned on his sunglasses until it pancaked in a dev- only a handful of whom to make it worth their while. tion mission to Haiti, said re-
while he passes out flyers astating 2010 quake. have even faint name rec- At a recent presidential cently that the vote could
on behalf of a third. It’s campaign season ognition among the vast campaign rally in down- constitute “a historic mo-
Jeanty Masier makes no again in Haiti, which means majority of the population. town Port-au-Prince, doz- ment” for the long-troubled
pretense of actually car- a frenzy of activity not just Money floods political ens of young men shoved country still recovering from
ing about any of the can- for the numerous politicians campaigns in countries and elbowed in a scrum, the 2010 quake.
didates competing in Sun- jockeying for power but around the globe, but neck veins bulging, as they But after years of merce-
day’s first round of presi- also the droves of young Haiti’s flourishing if small- vied for campaign T-shirts nary campaigning and
dential elections, but he’s slum residents like Masier scale election economy is and perhaps the chance broken promises by politi-
happy to support any of who’ve never held any particularly striking for the to carry candidate Steeve cal leaders, it’s hard to find
them — for a price. kind of steady job and are country’s extensive poverty Khawly to the stage. many impoverished citi-
A group who had already zens of Haiti who are con-
secured shirts leaned fident their ballots could
on motorbikes nearby. make a difference. A
Frantzdy Thomas, 29, said messy first round of legisla-
he was promised some tive elections in August got
kind of compensation if he a national turnout of just 18
recruited buddies from his percent.
neighborhood to support “Politics is essentially a busi-
the businessman’s cam- ness in Haiti, unfortunately,
paign. He said he hoped to and it’s very self-serving,”
get a construction job and said Robert Fatton, a Hai-
was willing to take orders tian-born politics professor
in hopes that a Khawly vic- at the University of Virginia
tory could lead to steady and the author of “The
work.“Whatever the leader Roots of Haitian Despo-
tells us to do, we will do. tism.” ‘’It’s a way of getting
If he tells us to take to the the resources of the state,
streets and mobilize, we will and it’s a way of making
do that. If he says be calm, money.”q