Last April in the northern city of Port Margot, he took the stage to address a political rally. Before he could start, men in the crowd fired automatic weapons into the air and yelled that he had no right to speak. The crowd scattered. Today Grandchamp is back in the United States, disappointed and embittered. I wanted to help establish a democracy in Haiti.
Many diplomats agree.
In parliamentary elections last May, Lavalas candidates won in a landslide. Most observers said the results were tainted. Opposition parties boycotted the presidential elections in protest. And instead of congratulating Aristide last week, the United Nations released a bleak report from Secretary General Kofi Annan to the General Assembly. He recommended that the U.N. close its Haitian mission when its mandate expires in February, writing that the mission could not function in a climate of political turmoil.