Both Congress and the international community have invested significant resources in the political, economic, and social development of Haiti, and closely monitored the conduct of the 2010-2011 elections as a prelude to the next steps in Haiti's development. In the short term, elections have usually been a source of increased political tensions and instability in Haiti. In the long term, elections in Haiti have contributed to the slow strengthening of government capacity and transparency. The Obama Administration, which considers Haiti its top priority in the Latin American and Caribbean region, provided $16 million in election support through the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID). The first round of both the presidential and legislative elections took place on November 28, 2010. Investigations And Revised Results

Negotiations between the OAS and the Haitian government ensued, resulting in the OAS sending a team of election experts to Haiti on December 30, 2010, to verify the results of the presidential election. Concluding that phase, the CEP released the final presidential and legislative election results on February 3, accepting that Mirlande Manigat and Michel Martelly would proceed to the second round of presidential elections. The Final Round of Voting

The final round of voting for president and the legislature was held on March 20, 2011. The Newly Elected Government

		President Martelly

Michel Martelly was sworn into office as Haiti's new President on May 14, 2011. Martelly is having difficulty forming his new government. Martelly is still finalizing the list of other cabinet ministers. Since the flurry of activity passing amendments between their installation and that of the president, the legislature has focused primarily on consideration of a new prime minister. Issues and Concerns Regarding Elections and Post-Election Governance

The concerns over this particular election cycle in Haiti are shared by the international donor community, Congress, and the Obama Administration. Short-term Issues

			Election Monitoring

The Organization of American States (OAS) /Caribbean Community (CARICOM) Joint Election Observation Mission was the only major international monitor of the recent election process. The OAS deployed 200 observers for the March 20 second round elections. As mentioned above, after the CEP announced results for the legislative elections, with final tallies that changed the outcome for 19 districts in favor of the ruling Inite coalition, the OAS/CARICOM mission demanded that those results be annulled. The CEP reverted the outcomes to the original tally in 15 cases; four seats in the chamber of deputies are still to be resolved. Jean-Claude "Baby Doc" Duvalier returned unexpectedly from 25 years in exile on January 16, 2011. Outlook

In proximity to the United States, and with such a chronically unstable political environment and fragile economy, Haiti has been a constant policy issue for the United States. Congress views the stability of the nation with great concern and commitment to improving conditions there. Activities include training in poll watching, participation in candidate debates, and election dispute resolution; Support of domestic and international electoral observation to monitor the entire election period, to increase the confidence and participation of voters and political parties; Support for the organization of presidential debates to provide the electorate with greater access to information about candidates and issues; Support for procurement of elections material, such as ballots and ballot boxes, through a contribution to the elections trust fund managed by the United Nations Development Program; and After the elections, programs to build broad national support for electoral reform, including the establishment of an independent, permanent electoral council.
In proximity to the United States, and with such a chronically unstable political environment and fragile economy, Haiti has been a constant policy issue for the United States. Congress views the stability of the nation with great concern and commitment to improving conditions there. The Obama Administration considers Haiti its top priority in the Latin American and Caribbean region. Both Congress and the international community have invested significant resources in the political, economic, and social development of Haiti, and have closely monitored the election process as a prelude to the next steps in Haiti's development. For the past 25 years, Haiti has been making the transition from a legacy of authoritarian rule to a democratic government. Elections are a part of that process. In the short term, elections have usually been a source of increased political tensions and instability in Haiti. In the long term, elected governments in Haiti have contributed to the gradual strengthening of government capacity and transparency.
Haiti has concluded its latest election cycle, although it is still finalizing the results of a few legislative seats. The United States provided $16 million in election support through the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID). Like many of the previous Haitian elections, the recent process has been riddled with political tensions, violence, allegations of irregularities, and low voter turnout. The first round of voting for president and the legislature, held on November 28, 2010, was marred by opposition charges of fraud, especially in the presidential race. The Haitian government asked the Organization of American States (OAS) for help and delayed releasing final results, while the OAS team of international elections experts investigated and verified the process. On February 3, following the OAS team's recommendations, the Haitian Provisional Electoral Council (CEP) reversed their original finding by eliminating Jude Celestin, the governing party's candidate, from the race by a narrow margin. Instead, Michel "Sweet Micky" Martelly, a popular singer, proceeded to the run-off race against Mirlande Manigat, a constitutional lawyer and university administrator.
After months of dispute, the second round of elections took place on March 20. The OAS electoral observation mission reported that the second round was more organized, transparent, and peaceful than the first. When final results were announced, controversy again erupted, this time over legislative races. The CEP's final tallies changed the outcome in favor of the ruling Inite party for 19 legislative districts. Under pressure from the public and the OAS mission, the CEP eventually reverted to 15 of the 19 original results; four seats in the chamber of deputies are still to be decided. The outcome of the presidential race was not challenged, and Michel Martelly was sworn into office peacefully on May 14. Local elections are due to be held, but haven't yet been scheduled.
President Martelly is having difficulty forming his administration. The legislature passed several constitutional amendments in a flurry of activity in its first three weeks. Since then it has focused on the selection of a prime minister. The majority Inite parliament blocked Martelly's first choice, and over half of the Senate asked him to rescind his second candidate.
In addition to ongoing issues regarding the legitimacy of the March 20 elections, other questions have raised concerns within the international community and Congress. These include the destabilizing presence of former dictator Jean-Claude "Baby Doc" Duvalier and former President Jean-Bertrand Aristide, and the newly elected government's ability to handle the complex post-earthquake reconstruction process and its relationship with the donor community.