US embassy cable - 05PORTAUPRINCE2604

UNCLAS PORT AU PRINCE 002604 
 
SIPDIS 
 
STATE FOR WHA/CAR 
DRL 
S/CRS 
SOUTHCOM ALSO FOR POLAD 
STATE PASS AID FOR LAC/CAR 
INR/IAA (BEN-YEHUDA) 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PGOV, PREL, KDEM, HA, Elections 
SUBJECT: JACQUES BERNARD SWORN IN AS ELECTIONS DG 
 
REF: A. PORT-AU-PRINCE 2569 
 
     B. PORT-AU-PRINCE 1366 
 
1. Prime Minister Gerard LaTortue swore in Jacques Bernard as 
Director General of the Provisional Electoral Council (CEP) 
on October 15.  According to the new bylaws of the CEP, the 
Bernard will be responsible for the day-to-day operation of 
the CEP under the nine CEP members, who will act as a board 
of directors under the aegis of the new Support Committee 
(SC).  The CEP approved Bernard in a five to four vote, which 
was less favorable than the unanimous consent Bernard had 
sought (REF A).  Some political party leaders, notably Micha 
Gaillard of FUSION, have criticized Bernard for being out of 
touch with Haiti,s problems and thus unlikely to succeed. 
The PM anticipated these objections and countered that 
Bernard's distance from the process and political neutrality 
make him an ideal candidate to guide the CEP.  Thus far, 
Bernard has started an audit of the CEP,s progress to date, 
which he plans to use to make an elections workplan.  He said 
plans to run the CEP like a business in order to implement 
elections preparations as soon as he understands what needs 
to be done.  Prime Minister Latortue had insisted that 
Bernard accompany him to Brussels to attend the donors 
conference on October 21.  Bernard ultimately enlisted 
intermediaries to convince Latortue that he needed to stay in 
Haiti to work. 
 
2. Bio Note: Jacques Bernard is of Haitian origin and has 
worked for 30 years in international business.  Most 
recently, Bernard has acted as a consultant to the IGOH in 
early 2005 and helped to resolve a labor dispute in the 
Ouanaminthe free trade zone, in northeastern Haiti (REF B). 
He has managed a stock portfolio and his land holdings in 
Haiti from Washington DC Since 1999.  From 1996-2000, Bernard 
ran a sorghum farm (Lion Farm) and an industrial development 
project (Anagriff Development) in Haiti.  Prior to that, he 
ran an electronics assembly plant in Haiti from 1983-1996 
that manufactured component parts for American electronics. 
Between 1974-1981, Bernard worked as an economist for Harris 
Bank in Chicago, Illinois, where he specialized in 
international development financing and risk analysis. 
Bernard has a B.A. in economics and an M.A. in economics and 
finance from Roosevelt University in Chicago. 
CARNEY