Haiti in uproar over American candidate for presidency

by Clarens Renois

Wednesday,  November 2, 2005

PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti (AFP): The prospect of a candidate for the Haitian presidency holding a US passport has caused an uproar in the troubled, impoverished Caribbean nation as it heads for landmark elections.

Dumarsais Simeus is campaigning to become head of state despite the opposition of the interim government and receiving threats as he seeks votes from the public.

The "affaire Simeus", as it has become known, has dominated the campaign for December election, the first election since President Jean Bertrand Aristide fled Haiti in February 2004.

Simeus, who has spent more than 40 years in the United States and made his fortune with a grocery chain in Texas, is one of 35 candidates in the race but his name is the most mentioned because of the controversy over his passport.

Haiti's electoral council banned Simeus from taking part in the election, saying candidates could not have dual nationality. But the supreme court overturned the decision.

Interim prime minister Gerard Latortue highlighted during a visit last month by US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice that Haiti's law states that "foreigners" could not hold an elected office.
Boniface Alexandre, the interim president, has also vowed to make sure that foreign nationals do not stand in the election.

Since the supreme court rebuff, the government has set up a commission to examine the nationalities of all the candidates.

Simeus, 66, has campaigned on the promise of reviving the country's finances and providing a meal every day for every Haitian -- an attractive slogan in a country where poverty is endemic.

He admits that he has an American passport but insists his Haitian roots are just as important. "My grand-parents and parents were born in Haiti," he said. "I am, and I will die Haitian."

Simeus told AFP in an interview that had the supreme court ruled against him he would have withdrawn. But he also said that the action against him by the government was "anti-constitutional".

His presence in the campaign has divided the country however. Some of Simeus' rivals have said they will not take part in the election if Simeus does.

"There is no question of accepting Simeus in the contest," said Guy Philippe, head of the former soldiers who led the rebellion that forced Aristide to flee into exile.

Judie Roy, the only woman in the battle, said that letting Simeus stand would be "anti-constitutional".

Myrlande Manigat, a constitutional expert who is standing for Haiti's senate in the series of elections, has called on Simeus to withdraw and warned "he could be overthrown if he wins the election".

While the government agonises over what many consider to be a crisis, Simeus is pursuing his campaign.

"I have a certain expertise which I have proved. I have an expertise in managing businesses and creating jobs. I have some good ideas to open the door to foreign companies," he said.

"But above all I want everyone involved. I don't want to exclude anyone. I want to offer opportunities to each person in this country."

Simeus has toured Port-au-Prince promising to create jobs and provide meals but his car was pelted with stones when he went to the Bel Air shanty town that remains a stronghold for ousted leader Aristide.

During her visit, the US secretary of state said that anyone who wants to stand should be allowed to, though she did not mention the name of the businessman with a US passport.

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