Legislative and local elections overseen by UN and OAS.

The Caribbean nation of Haiti on 25 June conducted an initial round of legislative and local democratic elections-the first since the return of President Jean-Bertrand Aristide to power and the restoration of that country's constitutional Government in October 1994.

A spokesman at UN Headquarters said on 26 june that the security in polling places had been "excellent overall", despite some reported incidents of violence.

The UN Mission in Haiti (UNMIH) provided technical assistance and security support for the balloting, while monitors from the Organization of American States (OAS) were responsible for observing the voting.

Lakhdar Brahimi, Special Representative of the Secretary-General, said he was "particularly pleased" with the work of UNMIH, especially the civilian police monitors, many of whom worked for 20 hours straight on election day, often in difficult circumstances.

In December 1990, under the supervision of the UN, Haiti held free and democratic elections, in which Mr. Aristide, a Roman Catholic priest, won the Presidency by a 67.5 per cent landslide. After his ousting in September 1991 following a military coup, the UN was involved in three years of complex efforts, including mediation, negotiations, dispatch of missions, sanctions and, finally, deployment of the Multinational Force (MNF). President Aristide returned to Haiti on 1 5 October 1994.

Coalition wins majority

According to results of the 25 June preliminary voting, a coalition associated with President Aristide - the Lavalas Political Platform - won a majority in all of Haiti's nine departments. The main cities were to have a Lavalas mayor, including the capital of Port-au-Prince, where incumbent mayor Evans Paul, from the National Front for Change and Democracy, had been defeated by a popular singer, Emmanuel Charlemagne. Run-off municipal and communal elections are scheduled for mid-August.

On 29 June, the Secretary-General reported (A/49/926) that the early stages of the election campaign had been "generally satisfactory", although it had begun in a "climate made heavy by protests, confusion over which candidates had been accepted, and threats of violence". There had been "sporadic acts of violence, some of them serious", he said. The staffing of electoral offices in some areas had been the "subject of dispute", giving rise to acts of intimidation. The registration process had also been "marred by threats, acts of intimidation, stone-throwing, and theft and attempted theft of registration material", the Secretary-General reported. The electoral process had later stabilized, he added.

National consensus

On 13 April, the Secretary-general had declared that peace and security in Haiti required dialogue, tolerance, cooperation and reconciliation - a "national political consensus". Elections should be seen "as a step to achieve that consensus", he reported (S/1995/305).

Although results achieved so far gave "reason to hope" that the UN operation in Haiti, notwithstanding its broader mandate, would be successful, much depended on the Haitian people and their leaders, the Secretary-General observed.

They would have to rehabilitate their nation's institutions and economy. The state of the economy was "immensely important", since it would be a "critical test of the success - or otherwise - of the whole process which is now unfolding", he stated.

The UN would assist the Government in that field. For that reason, the Secretary-general said Cristiin Ossa had been appointed Deputy Special Representative and concurrently Resident Representative of the UN Development Programme (UNDP). That was the first Ume that the UN had "linked a peace-keeping mission to development activities in this manner", he said.

Fair elections urged

The Security Council on 24 April stressed the "crucial importance of free, fair and secure elections for the democratic future of Haiti", and urged the Government to take "all necessary steps" to ensure their success.

In particular, it wanted the Haitian Government to "register as many voters as possible" prior to the elections and assure that "political campaigning occurs in an environment free from partisan intimidation".

In a statement by Council President Karel Kovanda of the Czech Republic, it also called on the Government to cooperate fully with the UN and the OAS.

The Council emphasized the importance of the presidential elections to be held on schedule, before UNMIH's scheduled withdrawal in February 1996, pursuant to resolution 940 (1994) of 31 July 1994.

While the Mission's presence would help sustain a secure and stable environment, the existence of a "functioning and fair justice system and the early deployment of a permanent and effective police force" were central to Haiti's long-term stability, the Council stressed. Also, the "issue of security" was central to the entire UN operation in Haiti.

The 31 March transfer of responsibilities from the MNF - deployed since 19 September 1994 - to UNMIH had been a "milestone in the overall efforts" to bring peace and stability to Haiti, the Council declared. But much remained to be done to "institutionalize democracy" there.

In stressing that the Government and people bore the "primary responsibility for Haiti's political, economic and social reconstruction", the Council also noted that the "sustained commitment" of the international community was "indispensable for long-term peace and stability" in the country.

Human rights

The number of human rights violations in Haiti had "fallen substantially" since the restoration of the constitutional Government, and the rights to freedom of expression, association and assembly were being exercised by different sectors, "including by those who are critical of President Aristide and the Government", the Secretary-General reported on 29 June.

The main impediment to full respect for human rights was the "absence or extreme weakness" of the institutions needed to protect the citizens' rights, "most notably a well-trained civilian police force and an effective judicial system".

But the Government, he said, was strongly committed to developing those institutions, with the assistance of the international community, including the joint UN/OAS International Civilian Mission to Haiti (MICIVIH), which had resumed its activities on 26 October 1994.

By mid-June, MICIVIH, which continued to give priority to "monitoring of and the promotion of respect for human rights", had 190 observers, representing some 50 nationalities, of whom 104 were men and 86 women; 84 contracted by OAS and 106 by the UN, it was reported.