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Parliamentary elections were held in Haiti on 21 May 2000, with a second round of voting for 46 seats in the Chamber of Deputies and 19 seats in the Senate on 9 July, which was boycotted by the opposition).[1][2] The resul was a victory for Fanmi Lavalas, which won all 27 Senate seats and 72 of the 83 seats in the Chamber of Deputies. Voter turnout was reported to be around 60%.[2]
Although the elections had been delayed several times and irregularities were reported on voting day, the balloting was judged to be free and fair.[3] According to the Center for International Policy, the elections were Haiti's best so far.[4] Controversy however affected the Senate race over the calculation of whether Senate candidates had achieved the majority required to avoid a run-off election (in Haiti, seats where no candidate wins an absolute majority of votes cast has to enter a second-round run-off election). The validity of the Electoral Council's post-ballot calculations of whether a majority had been attained was disputed.
The results of the Chamber of Deputies were not disputed,[4] but controversy followed the decision of the Provisional Electoral Council (CEP) to declare first-round winners in 17 of the Senate's 27 seats (rather than enter these seats into the second round of run-off elections),[5][4] leading to allegations of electoral fraud. With Lavalas ultimately winning all 27 Senate seats and only 8 seats disputed,[4] the dispute could however not have affected the outcome, as the Organization of American States (OAS) noted.[6] The OAS reported that the CEP's calculation of whether the leading candidate in a Senate seat had attained the necessary majority was incorrect, as it was based on the votes cast for a number of leading candidates (often the top four), rather than on all votes cast. As a result, 17 of the Senate's 27 seats were declared as having first-round winners, and only 10 seats were required to have a second round run-off between the first-placed and second-placed candidates.[5] The OAS told the Electoral Council of its error, but it declined to amend its calculation, and in response the OAS suspended its observation activity for the second round.[5] The head of the Electoral Council, Léon Manus, maintained that the calculation method "was in keeping with past practice",[4] and initially told the OAS not to interfere. He later changed his mind and did a recount, and spoke to Preval and Aristide, who "made forceful statements which Manus took as threats to his life", as a result of which he left the country.[7]
In response to the disputed election the US cut off aid and blocked previously agreed loans from the Inter-American Development Bank.[4] "In 2001, a bankrupt Aristide agreed to virtually all of the concessions demanded by his opponents: he obliged the winners of the disputed Senate seats to resign, accepted the participation of several ex-Duvalier supporters in his new government, agreed to convene a new and more opposition-friendly CEP and to hold another round of legislative elections several years ahead of schedule. But the US still refused to lift its aid embargo."[4]
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| Party | Votes | % | Seats |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fanmi Lavalas | 72 | ||
| Christian National Movement | 3 | ||
| Louvri Baryé Party | 2 | ||
| Espace de Concentration | 2 | ||
| Other parties and independents | 3 | ||
| Invalid/blank votes | - | - | |
| Total | 83 | ||
| Source: IPU | |||
| Party | Votes | % | Seats |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fanmi Lavalas | 27 | ||
| Total | 27 | ||
| Source: IPU | |||
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