Haiti - Elections : Voilà, $100,000 for the elections
The mobile phone company Voilà, a subsidiary of Trilogy International Partners, said understanding the critical need for Haiti to conduct a successful presidential run-off election this March 20. It announced it will provide Haiti's Provisional Electoral Council (CEP) with enhanced text messaging capabilities to facilitate voter turn-out.
The SMS service allows a mobile phone customer to request information from the CEP on the location of the polling station where the customer is registered to vote. In an effort to encourage broader participation.
In addition, Voilà has established a private sector fund to ensure the two presidential candidates, Mirlande Manigat and Michel Martelly, have the necessary resources to hire poll observers throughout the country. The fund will be administered by Haiti's Private Sector Economic Forum (Forum Economique du Secteur Prive (FESP), which will collect donations and distribute the funds to both presidential campaigns. Voilà, a founding member of FESP, will contribute $100,000 to the effort and is encouraging others interested in promoting fair elections to contribute as well.
"It's important we move forward with the elections and usher in a new government that can help lead the Haitian people to a brighter future," said Brad Horwitz, CEO of Trilogy International Partners. "We're proud to leverage the capabilities of our network in support of the CEP's efforts and encourage the private sector to promote a credible and transparent democratic process"
