According to the Haitian Press Agency (AHP) Aristide's passport problems should be resolved since his lawyer, in a letter to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, applied for a renewal of his Haitian passport.
We got in touch with Mark Weisbrot of the Center for Economic and Policy Research (CEPR) a Washington, D.C. based think tank that conducted a parallel analysis of the OAS scrutiny of the election. When the erroneous results were released on February 3, Weisbrot called the whole deal an "undermining" of democracy in Haiti. Reacting to news of Aristide's return as inevitable, Weisbrot criticized U.S. meddling in Haitian affairs.
Aristide is coming back, that is his right under Haitian and international law. The world and the hemisphere have changed since the United States government overthrew him seven years ago; it is not so easy for Washington to choose who will govern other countries as it has been in the past, as we are witnessing in Egypt.
IJDH notes that the current runoff controversy is the result of trying to create a "good" result from the deeply flawed November 28 elections in Haiti. "IJDH supports the efforts of many Haitian civil society groups and political parties, joined by the Congressional Black Caucus and several U.S. human rights groups in calling for new, inclusive elections as the only practical solution to Haiti's election crisis," according to the press release.
An important caveat, that is as intangible as the collective will of the Haitian people, is the feeling that if and when Aristide returns, whomever he anoints will win the election.
Visit the pancaked Presidential Palace and residents of the IDP camp across the street will greet you kindly and remind you that the ruined structure is the "devil's palace."
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