Haiti

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HAITI Although there is no functioning Congress to sanction or rectify executive branch actions, the once-turbulent political landscape has yielded to a climate of political détente, thus easing tensions over ambiguities in the democratic process and respect for the rights to freedom. However, one setback was the early March postponement of congressional and local elections past the date established by the electoral timetable. During the past six months, no significant violations of press freedom have been reported. At the same time, state institutions have eased the media’s access to public information, a demand constantly noted in previous reports. President René Preval himself marked the opening of a new era of respect for freedom of information by holding a year-end meeting with journalists with the aim of “overcoming the debris of the past.” Nevertheless, President Preval declined to sign the Declaration of Chapultepec, presented personally to him by a high-level IAPA mission led by Association President Tony Pederson. No persuasive arguments were given for his refusal to sign during the previously arranged meeting. During the period, a legal conflict arose between ACN, the main Internet service provider in Haiti, and the government’s telecommunications regulatory agency. ACN was allegedly fostering and easing the placing of illegal telephone calls to the detriment of the state Telecommunications Company (TELECO). The agency suspended ACN’s operations for several weeks. The conflict, however, was overcome and the company resumed its operations.

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