00:00Haiti's long-delayed electoral process has entered a new phase, with voter registration
00:05expanding into parts of the West Department as the country prepares for presidential,
00:10legislative and constitutional referendum votes in December.
00:14Registration is currently limited to the relatively secure communes of Pesionville, Delmas and Tabac,
00:20while much of the capital region remains under the influence of armed gangs.
00:26We support the Provisional Electoral Council.
00:29We are providing it with funding and the electoral law is ready.
00:32The entire government is mobilized to ensure the elections are held smoothly.
00:36We are helping in every way we can.
00:39We are working in complete harmony with Provisional Electoral Council.
00:42The elections fall under the authority of the Haitian state.
00:47The Provisional Electoral Council says the registration is progressing smoothly
00:52and plans to open more centers as security improves ahead of the December 13 vote.
01:02In a democratic country, we should not go so long without holding elections.
01:07We want these elections to take place.
01:10Of course, I am here to register to vote, but I know it is possible they may not happen.
01:16How can elections be held in such an insecure environment?
01:19We first need a climate of peace, and only then can we hold elections.
01:28Large parts of Pau-Prince metropolitan area, including Carrefour, Cite Soleil and Croix du Bouquet,
01:34remain inaccessible to election officials because of persisting gang violence.
01:40We are facing great hardship.
01:43Armed gangs are making our lives extremely difficult.
01:46But if elections are to be held, they must take place in the right conditions.
01:52If the timetable holds, Haiti will hold its first national elections in decades.
01:57But with gang violence still gripping much of the country,
02:00security remains the biggest challenge to delivering a credible vote.
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