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A Cloudy Dawn in Haiti - Time

2006-05-16T09:05:00.000-04:00

Cautious optimism greets a reelected president, but the challenge he faces may be overwhelming
By KATHIE KLARREICH/PORT AU-PRINCE, Monday, May. 15, 2006

Haiti's President René Préval took office on Sunday, opening what many hope will be a new chapter in a history scarred by political violence and social and economic instability. "The solution to our country's problems is in our hands," Préval told thousands of supporters. "The solution begins with dialogue. No one else can do it for us, not the IMF, the World Bank, the InterAmerican Development Bank, the European Union, Bilateral Cooperation or the United Nations. We thank them for their support. Please, help me, help the country, help yourselves."

The 63-year old agronomist and former president is better known for being Haiti's only democratically elected head of state to complete his five-year term rather than for anything specific he accomplished while in office. But he has won high marks from even his strongest critics for his pro-active approach to this second term. Conscious of the short honeymoon period he will be granted to show signs of real change, he has traveled abroad in search of aid and investment. And at home he has held frank conversations with members of Haiti's fractured population, trying to win support from an antagonistic business sector, a hostile political community, skeptical media directors, and even gang leaders who had, for months on end, besieged the capital with kidnappings and criminal violence.

The initial response, across the board, has been prudently optimistic. "The last three months, he's said the right things," said presidential rival and vocal critic Charles Henri Baker. "If there's meat behind it, it could be great." Added one Western diplomatic, "He has reached out across the political divide, at home and abroad. He's building a new political tradition."

Préval's ability to deliver may depend on the extent to which donor countries deliver on their aid pledges — the previous interim government only received $850 million of the $1.4 billion it was pledged by the international community. Préval is counting on agricultural development and tourism to jumpstart the economy, but knows that Haiti has grown increasingly dependent on foreign aid to keep the economy afloat.

Unemployment is just one of multiple crises in a country that has seen its economy stuck in reverse gear for years: Two decades ago, 114 factories employed some 90,000 Haitians; today there are only 15 factories with slightly more than 15,000 employees. AG Textiles owner Georges Sassine, who employs about 400 people, has the capacity to create 5,000 new jobs in the next few months but for his precarious financial situation. For two years he has been hemorrhaging money; only in the last two months has he begun to break even. On his desk a baby jar full of spent cartridges collected on his property reminds him of the fragility of peace. "As a citizen who lived with Préval through the past, I look at him with a question mark. Since he was declared the winner, so far so good," Sassine says cautiously. "But the burden of proof is on him. My main concern? Security, security, security."

Providing security is currently mostly the preserve of some 9,000 U.N. peacekeepers under Brazilian command, on whom Préval will depend as long as the situation demands it. He plans to formally abolish the Haitian military, unofficially defunct since President Aristide dissolved it in 1995, although one of the greatest threats to Haiti's stability since then has come from the disgruntled former soldiers who eventually overthrew Aristide's government two years ago.

Préval also faces a challenge in rebuilding a police force whose own director admits that more than half its officers are corrupt. The United States, which helped in the creation and training of the force, has limited the distribution of weapons to police officers because of the criminal element in their ranks.

And beyond the security challenge, vestiges of a collapsing infrastructure are visible everywhere, from half-paved roads to unfinished public housing. Gasoline costs over $5 a gallon, and the parts of the capital buzz to the sounds of generators day and night in the absence of electricity. Even last week's parliamentary investiture was held in candlelight.

Local elections have been postponed indefinitely, hampering the functioning of government for the nearly 80 percent of Haitians who live outside of a handful of cities. And the absence of a majority party in the legislature forces Préval to seek consensus among a wide variety of parties on major appointments.

The unspoken question for many Haitians, is how much time Préval has to deliver before the guns that were used to destabilize previous governments reappear on the streets. He faces a daunting challenge in ensuring security and restoring the functioning of government and the economy, while cleansing the corruption that runs rampant throughout the public administration. The price of success will be the creation of many, very dangerous enemies.

The biggest threat of all, however, may come from within the Lavalas party of former President Aristide that helped carry Préval to power. Many in Préval's inner circle turn red in the face at the very mention of Aristide's name, but others are lobbying for his return from exile in South Africa. Préval has said that the constitution allows for Aristide's return, but the reelected President would be far happier if his controversial predecessor stayed put. Because to rebuild Haiti, he needs all of its stakeholders to be focused not on their longstanding conflicts, but instead on their future prospects.

Preval Begins Second term in Haiti

2006-05-16T09:01:00.000-04:00

The president calls for unity in a nation occupied by foreign peacekeepers and deeply conflicted over exiled former leader Aristide.
By Carol J. Williams and Chantal Regnault, Special to The Times, May 15, 2006

PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti — Rene Preval was sworn in Sunday as Haiti's president for the second time, restoring legitimacy to the troubled nation's government after more than two years of anarchy and violence that followed the flight of Jean-Bertrand Aristide to escape an armed rebellion.

A soft-spoken agronomist and Haiti's only president to serve out his full term, Preval, who previously served from 1996 to 2001, inherits a nation occupied by foreign peacekeepers, in economic ruin and deeply conflicted over the legacy and future of his predecessor, Aristide.

In a ceremony before Parliament, which hasn't functioned properly in five years, the red and blue presidential sash was bestowed on Preval, who then appealed in a 15-minute speech for national unity and social peace to pull Haiti out of its misery.

"Only we Haitians can solve our main problem, which is division. We have to work together. Foreigners can't do that for us," the new president said.

The inauguration was attended by 300 Haitian and foreign dignitaries including Florida Gov. Jeb Bush, while average Haitians thronged the streets, their ears bent to radios to follow the fanfare. Thousands massed outside the National Palace to cheer as the presidential party arrived for a reception and another brief address by Preval to those gathered on the manicured lawn or listening from behind the wrought-iron fences.

Less than a mile away, U.N. troops and Haitian police were called to quell a prison revolt that erupted with heavy gunfire hours before the inauguration, a reminder of the troubled path ahead for the new leader.

Preval, 63, won the Feb. 7 vote in the first round by winning a majority despite competition from more than 30 other contenders. He was seen as torchbearer of Aristide's unfulfilled aim of empowering the poor in a country of 8.5 million where wealth has long been controlled by a few dozen families. Preval served as Aristide's prime minister, as well as presidential place-holder during years when Aristide was ineligible to serve because of a constitutional prohibition against successive terms.

But some who voted for Preval did so in the expectation that he would bring back Aristide, currently languishing in a state guest house in South Africa.

Preval has said only that the constitution allows any Haitian to return to his homeland, stopping short of urging the return of his controversial predecessor. In February, Preval intimated to journalists that Aristide should keep in mind that criminal charges had been raised against him by the U.S.-backed interim government of Prime Minister Gerard Latortue put in power after Aristide left.

Many here and in foreign capitals believe Aristide would undermine Preval's authority and probably reignite the violence among gangs armed by Aristide's Lavalas movement.

The European-educated son of an affluent agrarian family, Preval has already made overtures to some in the industrial elite who were vehement opponents of Aristide and have made it clear they don't want the radical proponent of liberation theology back in the country.

With his Lespwa movement falling short of a majority in parliament, Preval will have to build alliances with political rivals to push through the legislation needed to begin extracting Haiti from its economic morass. The poorest country in the Western Hemisphere, Haiti has an unemployment rate of about 70%, and environmental disasters have ravaged food production.

Political analysts see a daunting road ahead for the new president but also a glimmer of hope.

Noting that Preval has inherited "a broken country from Latortue," analyst Mara van den Bold of the Washington-based Council on Hemispheric Affairs said he would have to act quickly to win public confidence.

"He must also prevent a flare-up of domestic political malcontents, create an effective coalition among the several parties in his government and constructively assess former President Aristide's possible request to return to Haiti," Van den Bold said.

Preval has also been urged by human rights groups to make a priority of reforming the corrupt and ineffectual justice system. Several Aristide allies have been imprisoned without charges since shortly after he fled to Africa on Feb. 29, 2004. Most prominent among the suspect detentions is that of former Prime Minister Yvon Neptune, which Preval has indicated will get his priority attention.

Times staff writer Williams reported from Miami and special correspondent Regnault from Port-au-Prince.

Haiti to hold crucial vote amid fear of violence

2006-04-20T14:35:00.000-04:00

PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti (Reuters), Wed 19 Apr 2006,By Joseph Guyler Delva - Amid fears of political violence, Haiti prepares to vote in legislative elections that will determine if President-elect Rene Preval has enough support to govern the poorest country in the Americas.

The parliamentary run-off election will determine whether Preval will have an ally in the Caribbean country's next prime minister, who will be picked by parliament.

Authorities, analysts and the wealthy elite who lost when Preval, a champion of the poor, won a February 7 presidential election consider Friday's ballot crucial as Haiti tries to return to stability after the ouster two years ago of former president Jean-Bertrand Aristide.

But many ordinary Haitians seem unaware of the stakes, and there are signs turnout could be low. Preval, who will be sworn in on May 14, urged supporters to turn out in force.

"Without support from parliament, there is not much a president can do," Preval said.

Debate between candidates and parties has become fierce at the local level since Preval's first-round victory under the banner of his political platform "Lespwa," Creole for Hope.

Two candidates from rival parties also won first-round victories in races for the Chamber of Deputies, the lower house of parliament. That leaves 97 seats in the Chamber and all 30 Senate seats up for grabs in the April 21 runoff.

Under Haiti's constitution, the party holding at least half the seats of parliament will pick the prime minister.

No one party has enough candidates in the runoff to win the required majority.

As chief of government, the prime minister names all public administration functionaries, forms the cabinet, conducts government policies and presides over the National Police High Council, overseeing state security and safety. Parliament can fire him or her through a no-confidence vote.

Preval has been meeting candidates from rival parties to try to persuade them to join his platform, seeking a comfortable majority. A growing number of opponents have engaged in talks to join forces against his party.

Poverty is pervasive in Haiti, where the World Bank estimates annual income at $390 (218 pounds) per person. Coups and corruption have plagued two decades of attempts at democratic government and an unelected interim government has ruled since Aristide was driven out by an armed rebellion in 2004.

A U.N. peacekeeping mission in Haiti has launched an education campaign that includes radio commercials urging Haiti's 3.5 million registered voters to cast ballots.

But many voters complain that problems encountered in the chaotic first round of the election remain unsolved. They said they will have to walk miles (kilometres) to voting stations.

Police fear angry candidates who have been disqualified from the second round race could try to disrupt the election.

Violence has been reported in several towns, including the burning on Monday of a police station in Maissade, in the Central Plateau, said Haiti's police chief, Mario Andresol.

He said special security measures have been taken in "hot areas." U.N. peacekeepers also announced added security measures for the ballot.

"We know that there are places where angry disqualified candidates and other individuals are planning to disrupt the election," Andresol told Reuters. "We know there is a potential for violence, but the Haitian police and U.N. troops are prepared to quell any violent attack against the election."

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Haiti changes date again for runoff election

2006-03-14T19:41:00.000-05:00

PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti, March 11 (Reuters) - Haiti's electoral authorities on Saturday brought forward slightly the date for runoff elections to pick senators and legislators.

Originally due to take place on March 19 and then rescheduled for April 23, the second-round vote will now take place on April 21, a Friday, ostensibly to allow officials the weekend to prepare for classes on Monday the schools that will be used as voting centers.

"We finally decided to organize the second round on April 21, which is a Friday, for practical reasons," Max Mathurin, president of the Provisional Electoral Council, told Reuters.

Elections are usually held on Sundays in Haiti, the poorest and most unstable country in the Americas.

An exception was the presidential election on Feb. 7, the first national ballot since former President Jean-Bertrand Aristide was ousted in February 2004 by an armed revolt and under international pressure to quit.

Mathurin said the council decided to hold the runoff on a Friday to give election workers the whole weekend to put desks, chairs and other equipment back in place in time for schools to open on Monday.

"When we have the election on Friday, at least they will have Saturday and Sunday to starting cleaning and reorganizing," he said.

None of the contenders in the races held alongside the presidential election on Feb. 7 for 30 Senate seats and 99 seats in the lower house appear to have won the majority -- 50 percent plus one vote -- needed for a first-round victory.

President-elect Rene Preval, a onetime Aristide ally and like him a champion of the Caribbean nation's poor masses, was himself originally awarded just under 50 percent of the votes after a week of ballot counting.

But, fearing angry protests by his supporters and mindful of growing allegations of vote fraud seemingly aimed at denying Preval a first-round win, the electoral authorities decided to change the way they counted ballots with no votes cast on them and thereby handed him a victory.

Preval was originally supposed to take office on April 29, but his inauguration is expected to be delayed because of the inability to hold the second round of the legislative election on time. He could take office in the first week of May.

The party that holds a majority in parliament will pick a prime minister and form a government.

No party seems likely to obtain an outright majority but Preval has been meeting other parties in hopes of building a governing coalition that can bridge the deep divides in the country of 8.5 million, in particular the deep distrust between the poor and the small, wealthy elite.

Build strong electoral framework

2006-03-02T15:51:00.000-05:00

BY KATHIE KLARREICH--The lasting image I have of Election Day in Haiti last month was just after sundown. I was standing outside the hollow shell of a building where 43 tables, or polling stations, were located. Poll workers who had been on site for more than 14 hours were huddled around a single candle per table, the only light available for the polling booth president to read the ballot, pass it around to political party observers for confirmation and then have the secretary record the vote on a master tally sheet. I left before the last vote was counted, bleary-eyed and discouraged that after so many years, so many elections, so many battles to get to this celebratory day of democracy, this was the best that Haitians were going to get.

Election a disgrace

While I admit that it's hard to build an electoral framework without an infrastructure, this was the fourth presidential election I've witnessed in the last 18 years, and I know I am not setting the bar too high by saying that it was a disgrace.

The entire procedure, from the ill-conceived voting booths to the dismal tabulation process was an insult to the Haitian people. It's hard to understand how, with a $75 million budget covered by the international community, a bloated electoral calendar that included four postponements over three months and well-paid -- if not over-paid -- international experts from the United Nations and the Organization of American States, there could have been so much mayhem and magouy -- a catchall Creole word that means corruption, deceit and swindling.

Which begs the questions: Why? And then what, if anything, can be done to rectify the problem for the 129 parliamentary seats and numerous local spots yet to be determined? Although the runoffs were originally set for March 19, they have already been postponed. Unfortunately, the delay appears to be related to technical tally difficulties and the flight of the Provisional Electoral Council president rather than an aptly concentrated effort to identify and correct the massive fraud that took place in the first round.

What went wrong?

If I were a conspiracy theorist, I would say that this is part of a master plan by the international community to undermine President-elect René Préval, who can't govern until he has a prime minister, chosen in conjunction with the parliament. Préval's previous record as president has the international community concerned that he will either realign himself with ousted President Jean-Bertrand Aristide, or govern as an independent, truly democratic leader with an unprecedented popular mandate.

With no investigation into all that went wrong with the first round of voting, and because there will be far less attention paid to these upcoming elections now that the presidency has been decided, there will be an even greater chance for irregularity. Voters will trek long distances, confront incomplete registration lists and then cast their vote without knowing if it will be counted because poll workers with political agendas know precisely how much they were able to get away with already. Tinkering with tally sheets, allowing voters to cast multiple ballots and stuffing the ballot box will, in some places -- particularly those in the hard to reach areas in the countryside -- be the norm, rather than the exception.

Expose the problems

There were more than a thousand national observers and three international observation teams for Haiti's first round. These groups have been shamefully silent. Sending internal memos and holding backroom discussions on electoral discrepancies with foreign diplomats and Haitian officials without demanding changes or exposing the problems and their sources to the press serves only to massage their egos and pad their pockets. It does nothing to advance the democratic process in Haiti. If this is the best that they can do, they should stay home.

It doesn't have to be this way. We have to demand that our dollars are put to better use, propping up Haitian institutions that will hold the Haitian state accountable. We need to be selective but generous in supporting specific grass-roots groups, some of which trained local observers who did their best to try to ensure fraud-free elections. The vast majority of the 37,000 poll workers and nearly 2.1 million who voted want, and deserve, at least that much.

Kathie Klarreich is a freelance journalist and author of Madame Dread: A Tale of Love, Vodou and Civil Strife in Haiti.

Inauguration of new Haiti leader to be delayed

2006-03-02T15:50:00.000-05:00

PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti, March 2 (Reuters) - The inauguration of Haiti's new president, scheduled for March 29, will be postponed because the legislative assembly that administers the oath will not exist by then, officials said.

The chaotic Caribbean country's electoral council said on Thursday that a run-off election for senate and lower chamber seats would not take place as planned on March 19, delaying the installation of a Haiti's first elected government since former president Jean-Bertrand Aristide was ousted in 2004.
"We are already behind schedule. It is clear that the run-off election can no longer take place on March 19," said the president of the nine-member council, Max Mathurin.

"So that situation will affect the date set for the inauguration of the new president, because there'll be no parliament."

Ex-president Rene Preval, a one-time protege of Aristide, won a general election on Feb. 7 after fears of violence and widespread suspicions of vote fraud persuaded the electoral authorities to change the way they counted blank ballots and give him a first-round victory.

Backed by the poor masses in the slums where Aristide also found most of his support, Preval is mistrusted by the same wealthy elite who helped send Aristide into exile.

The electoral council did not set a new date for the second round of the legislative ballot, in which the two leading candidates for each of 30 senate seats and 99 lower house seats will compete.

Council members blamed the delay partly on street protests by President-elect Preval's supporters in the week it took for authorities to announce the Feb. 7 election result.

Preval's political platform called "Lespwa," or Creole for Hope, leads in the legislative election. Based on first-round results, Lespwa seems likely to gain 16 senate seats and 34 seats in the lower chamber. The party that holds a majority in parliament will pick a prime minister and form a government.

Preval has begun negotiations with rival candidates to try and form a governing coalition in parliament.

Preval on Thursday visited the Dominican Republic, Haiti's neighbor on the island on Hispaniola.

Bilateral relations have long been strained by mistrust and racism. Up to a million Haitian illegal immigrants work on Dominican farms or construction sites in conditions that human rights workers say are not far removed from slavery.

Preval is also expected to travel to Chile, Argentina and Brazil whose countries have deployed troops under the United Nations to help stabilize Haiti.

European Union Declaration on the Presidential Election In Haiti

2006-02-21T10:47:00.000-05:00

Declaration by the Presidency on behalf of the European Union following the presidential election in Haiti

Brussels, 21 February 2006 - In view of the preliminary statement by the European Union Election Observation Mission, the European Union expresses its satisfaction that the presidential and parliamentary elections of 7 February passed off peacefully and notes that they will have marked an important step forward for the democratic process.

The European Union welcomes the high turnout by and the serious engagement of the people of Haiti in exercising their democratic right to choose their future leaders, despite the major technical and logistical problems encountered during the organisation of the vote.

The European Union welcomes the fact that a significant turning point has been reached in carrying through the democratic transition process.

The European Union congratulates the President of Haiti, Mr René Préval, on his new mandate and reaffirms its lasting commitment to the people and authorities of Haiti in their efforts to rebuild and develop their country.

The European Union underlines the importance of the second round of parliamentary elections and hopes that their successful conduct will serve to cement the rule of law and complete the establishment of strong, stable institutions capable of completely fulfilling the role assigned to them under the Constitution.

As Haiti enters a new chapter in its history, it is vital that all political and social forces make national reconciliation the watchword for the dialogue they pursue, in order to achieve the political, economic and social stability that the country needs for its development.

The Acceding Countries Bulgaria and Romania, the Candidate Countries Turkey, Croatia* and the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia*, the Countries of the Stabilisation and Association Process and potential candidates Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Serbia and Montenegro, and the EFTA countries Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway, members of the European Economic Area, as well as Ukraine and the Republic of Moldova align themselves with this declaration.

* Croatia and the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia continue to be part of the Stabilisation and Association Process.

Haiti Election Chief Flees Country

2006-02-21T10:45:00.000-05:00

PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti, Monday, February 20, 2006 (AP) -- The head of Haiti's electoral council fled the country after opponents threatened his life and burned down his farmhouse nearly two weeks after disputed elections, an official said Monday.

Jacques Bernard, appointed three months ago to bring order to a council that was plagued by organizational problems and infighting, left Sunday and may have traveled to Miami, said Michel Brunache, chief of staff for interim President Boniface Alexandre.

On Friday, Bernard had reported receiving threats and requested more security amid complaints about the vote count from the Feb. 7 elections, which returned former President Rene Preval to the office, Brunache said.

"He said he was afraid for himself and his family and said he wanted more security," Brunache told The Associated Press. "I was shocked when I heard he had left."

The U.N. peacekeeping mission in Haiti said it didn't know Bernard's whereabouts.

Bernard had kept a low profile since the nine-member council declared Preval the president on Thursday, eight days after the long-awaited vote.

Preval, who received four times as many votes as his nearest rival, was declared the victor after the electoral council agreed to divide 85,000 blank ballots among the 33 candidates proportionally according to the votes they had received. That gave Preval the 51 percent he needed to avoid a runoff.

Throngs of Preval supporters flooded the streets after the polls, denouncing the delay in releasing the results and accusing Bernard of manipulating the vote count to deny Preval a first-round victory _ a charge Bernard has denied.

Wimhurst confirmed that Bernard's ranch in a town just northeast of the capital of Port-au-Prince was burned and looted over the weekend.

After the incident, Bernard went on local radio to denounce some council members who have accused him of withholding information and excluding them from important decisions.

Bernard's absence could throw the vote-counting for legislative elections into disarray. Logistical delays have already slowed the result tabulation, and electoral officials will likely have to postpone the scheduled March 19 runoff, officials say.

"If Mr. Bernard leaves Haiti, it will be catastrophic because he is the only man on the council who was professional," said Micha Gaillard, spokesman for the Fusion party. "Without him we fear we could be in a situation where the legislative results will not be published."

Council member Patrick Fequiere criticized Bernard as a "megalomaniac" who abused the power of the council. "I believe that he had a political agenda," Fequiere said on Radio Vision 2000.

Haiti election authority says fraud tainted vote

2006-02-19T09:49:00.000-05:00

PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti, Friday, February 17, 2006; 2:50 PM (Reuters) - Haiti's presidential election was tainted by signs of fraud including blank ballots that represented a third of the votes cast in some polling stations, electoral authorities said on Friday.

The conclusion of fraud served as a defense of the Provisional Electoral Council's decision a day earlier to hand the election to Rene Preval, a champion of Haiti's poor who had complained over the ballot irregularities. The finding conflicts with statements from some international organizations.

In addition to the blank ballots, in other polling stations the number of ballots left over at the end of the day was less than the number of people who had voted would indicate.

"The blank ballots were probably introduced into the ballot boxes in a fraudulent manner," Max Mathurin, president of the electoral council, told Vision 2000 radio, "This looked weird," he said.

It was the council's first public acknowledgment that the February 7 election was tainted by what Preval called massive fraud.

The council on Thursday morning gave the election to Preval after he complained about the large number of ballots that had been left unmarked by voters. The total number of blank votes amounted to between 85,000 and 90,000, Mathurin said, out of 2.2 million votes cast.

The blank ballots reduced Preval's vote share to less than the majority needed for a first-round victory. Several of Preval's rival candidates had earlier agreed to join forces against him in the event of a second round.

Blank ballots are a common way to express a protest vote in established democracies. But few Haitians believed that their fellow voters were unable to find a suitable candidate among the 33 rivals running for the presidency.

Nor was it likely that all those people would have walked miles (km) and waited in line for hours, just to leave ballot papers unmarked, Mathurin said.

The discovery of half-burned votes, many cast for Preval, on a garbage dump in Port-au-Prince fueled suspicions and the final straw was when the council discovered the large numbers of blank votes in some polling stations -- numbers it could not believe were legitimate.

"In some polling stations, blank ballots totaled a quarter of the votes, and in some others, one third of the votes," Mathurin said.

He blamed polling-station workers, who were often all of the same political persuasion.

He also said that 4 percent of votes could not be found. Preval was granted a first-round victory with 50.15 percent after 96 percent of ballots had been counted.

Some international organizations said the election was clean.

"There was no fraud," Jose Miguel Insulza, secretary general of the Organization of American States, said on Thursday. "The votes were properly counted, and despite some reports, there should be no talk about fraud and nobody can prove there were irregularities."

Haiti Elections: What About the Fraud Allegations?

2006-02-18T11:43:00.000-05:00

Open letter to Juan Gabriel Valdes, United Nations special envoy to Haiti.

Dear Mr Valdes,

The British solidarity organisation, the Haiti Support Group, notes the decision taken by the Haitian authorities to override the electoral law and to no longer include blank votes in the valid votes total, and we understand that this decision was taken in order to avoid further instability. Mr Rene Preval has won the presidency, but we remain very concerned about the charges of fraud and vote-rigging that have not yet been addressed.

While the popular will favouring a Preval presidency may have been acknowledged, we are concerned that the mass of the population will still lack confidence in the electoral process if the questions surrounding the 7 February elections are not resolved. Indeed, if the allegations of vote-rigging and fraud are not cleared up, how can anyone be sure that the results of the Parliamentary elections that took place on the same day, but that have not so been mentioned, will be an accurate reflection of the electorate's intentions? If the legitimacy of the new Parliament is in doubt, political instability will continue.

In this context, the Haiti Support Group is writing to request clarification from the MINUSTAH on three issues relating to suspicions of vote-rigging, fraud, and/or manipulation of the results in Haiti's first round presidential and legislative elections on 7 February 2006.

1) Missing, stolen and destroyed ballot papers.

Following the discovery of ballot papers at the Truitier municipal dump http://news.yahoo.com/photo/060215/ids_photos_wl/r1742304631.jpg , the MINUSTAH's David Wimhurst was reported by both Reuters and the Associated Press as suggesting that the discarded ballots could have come from nine polling stations outside Port-au-Prince ransacked during the election, with the loss of around 35,000 votes. We can only assume that Mr Wimhurst's comments have been misquoted, and that the number of missing votes is nowhere near as many as 35,000, but what is desperately needed is an informed and accurate statement answering the following questions:

a) Where did the ballot papers found at Truitier came from, and had they been counted already?

b) If they had not been counted already, how many ballot papers were found at Truitier? Was it hundreds, or thousands, or tens of thousands? Obviously the approximate number of ballots found is a crucial issue with regard to whether - if uncounted - the Truitier ballot papers could have significantly influenced the election results.

c) Mr Wimhurst speculated that the Truitier ballot papers could have been taken from ransacked polling stations, but exactly how many polling stations were ransacked, and how many ballots went missing? In an interview with Radio Metropole, on 15 February, Mr Wimhurst said, "these materials could have come from one or more polling places that were vandalized on election day, when people stole the ballots and all the materials." How many votes were lost in these incidents, and is the number large enough to significantly alter the results?

Where were these polling stations? (in the footnote, please see a partial tally of election day incidents that may have resulted in the theft or destruction of votes.)

d) How was it that such a number of polling stations came to be ransacked on election day, when the MINUSTAH had specifically reduced the number of polling centres to just over 800 in the entire country so that its 9,000 or so troops and police could provide an effective security presence? Where was that security presence when these polling stations were ransacked?

2) Blank ballot papers.

Of the 1.973 million votes cast and so far tabulated, 85,000 were blank votes - that is 4% of all votes cast. Is this a credible percentage? How does it compare with the percentage of blank votes cast in previous elections?

What is the explanation for the fact that in the (closely monitored?) West department, only 2.8% of valid votes were blank, whereas in the more remote (and less closely monitored?) Centre department, the percentage was 9.1%? Is there any connection between the differing percentages of blank votes, and the differing percentage of votes won by the Lespwa candidate: 61% in the West compared to 34% in the Centre?

Were blank votes deliberately added to the ballot boxes in order to influence the results?

3) Other invalid ballot papers.

Of the 1.973 million votes cast and so far tabulated, 148,000 were declared invalid for other reasons - that is 7.5% of all votes cast. Is this a credible percentage? How does it compare with the percentage of invalid votes cast in previous elections?

What is the explanation for the fact that in the (closely monitored?) West department, only 5.2% of valid votes were declared invalid, whereas in the more remote (and less closely monitored?) Nippes department, the percentage was 13.8%? Is there any connection between the differing percentages of invalid votes, and the percentage of votes won by the Lespwa candidate: 61% in the West compared to 39% in Nippes?

Were what should have been valid votes, declared invalid in order to influence the results?

In relation to points 2) and 3) we are quite ready to accept reasonable explanations for the discrepancies between the results in the West and those in other departments, but, as you will appreciate, without any explanations, without any comparison with earlier election results, suspicions are aroused. (We know of course that the presidential elections in 2000 and 1995 were marred by very low turnouts and for that reason might not make good comparisons, but the legislative elections in both years had high rates of participation and the results from those contests could provide useful comparisons.)

While we fully understand the desire of many players involved in Haiti to press ahead with the election calendar and move on to the second round run-offs for the Parliament and to the local government elections, the Haiti Support Group believes that before this can happen it is essential to conduct a thorough and transparent investigation into these various issues. If these issues are not addressed, confidence in the electoral authorities will not be restored, and the credibility of the next steps in the electoral calendar will be fatally undermined.
Haiti has already suffered from years of political deadlock and suspended development assistance resulting from the disputed results of the May 2000 legislative elections. Everything must be done to avoid a repetition of that situation.

Yours sincerely,

Charles Arthur
Director, the Haiti Support Group
London,
UK

Reports of election day incidents involving the theft or destruction of
votes:

In the North-West department - "Individuals set fire to the election office in the commune of Bombarde. Several pregnant women were hit. Some of them fainted. The police arrested several individuals." Source: InfoHaiti.net, 8 February 2006.

Also in the North-West department: "In Bombardopolis, supporters of the MIRN, Alyans, Lespwa and Union candidates entered the polling station in the evening and destroyed the voting materials. As a result, there are no results for the town or for the 2nd and 3rd sections." Source: Commission Episcopale Nationale Justice et Paix, 9 February 2006

In the Centre department - "Armed men, with their faces covered, disrupted the voting process in the commune of Lascahobas: voters fled and did not return." Source: InfoHaiti.net, 8 February 2006.

In the Artibonite department: "In Verrettes, 12 people, two of them candidates for Deputy, were arrested on Tuesday when they attempted to disrupt the voting process. The two candidates concerned were from the l'Artibonite en Action
(LAA) and Fusion parties." Source: Signal FM, 9 February 2006.

Also in the Artibonite: "In Grande Saline (section Poteneau), three Deputy candidates (LAA, Mochrena and Fusion) destroyed ballot papers. In Martineau (section La Chapelle) supporters of the LAA and Fusion parties did the same thing." Source: Commission Episcopale Nationale Justice et Paix, 9 February
2006

In the Grand Anse department: "In Bourdon, in the commune of Chambellan, an election centre containing 12 polling stations was set on fire, and all the election materials and ballot papers were destroyed." Source: Signal FM, 9 February 2006.

http://us.oneworld.net/article/view/127816/1/3352 February 18, 2006.

Declaration - Charles Henri Baker

2006-02-18T11:34:00.000-05:00

Le Regroupement RESPE / KONBA prend acte de la décision du CEP de déclarer René Garcia Préval vainqueur du scrutin du 7 février, en ignorant les prescrits de l’article 185 du décret électoral relatif au traitement du vote blanc.

Cette décision, dictée par la pression des rues, la pression de l’ exécutif et une partie de l’international, laisse présager un futur sombre pour la démocratie de notre pays.

Force est de constater, que les idéaux démocratiques qui ont justifié notre engagement dans la compétition électorale, ont été foulés au pied par ceux- la même qui étaient chargés d’en faire respecter les règles. Qu’on ne s’y trompe pas, il ne s’agit pas pour nous de contester ici la personnalité ou la popularité du candidat de LESPWA, mais de prendre plutôt, une position de principe contre une gestion électorale opaque, entachée de nombreuses irrégularités. Ceci porte à questionner l’avenir du processus, étant donné que les élections présidentielles n’en sont qu’une partie.

Le Regroupement RESPE / KONBA réitère ses réserves les plus vives contre un processus qui a interdit que la formidable mobilisation populaire du 7 février et son cortège d’espérances ne portent les fruits que la nation Haïtienne dans son ensemble était en droit d’attendre. Le Regroupement continue les consultations avec ses partenaires en vue de trouver des pistes de solution pour un avenir meilleur pour tous. Il saisit l’opportunité pour présenter ses sympathies à tous ceux et celles qui ont été victimes des actes de violence durant ces derniers jours.

Je m’en voudrais de ne pas prendre l’occasion pour souligner ici que le gouvernement de monsieur Préval, devrait être le gouvernement de tous les Haïtiens pour cinq ans. Je souhaite sa réussite car sa défaite ou sa faillite sera celle de tous les Haïtiens.

Nou nan mem bato-a… si li koule, nou tout ap fè fon.

Opinion -- Haiti Elections: The Right Result For The Wrong Reason

2006-02-18T11:29:00.000-05:00

by Brian Concannon Jr. Friday, Feb. 17, 2006 at 8:06 AM, brian@ijdh.org 541-432-0597 PO Box 745, Joseph, OR 97846 -- On February 7, Haitian voters went to the polls to elect a President for the fourth time since 1990. Through great patience and determination they overcame official disorganization, incompetence and discrimination, and for the fourth time since 1990 handed their chosen candidate a landslide victory. And for the fourth time Haitian elites, with support from the International Community, started immediately to undercut the victory, seeking at the negotiation table what they could not win at the voting booth.

The foothold for the negotiation was an impasse over whether the successful candidate, Rene Preval, won the 50% of the vote necessary to avoid a runoff election against his nearest competitor. Although early official results and the unofficial tallies by the Preval campaign, international observers and journalists all showed Mr. Preval comfortably above the 50% bar, after 5 days of counting his official results crept 1.3% below it.

The negotiations resulted in a deal that changes the way that the Electoral Council treats blank ballots, which, according to the Council’s calculation, puts Mr. Preval back above 50%. By giving Mr. Preval the election, the agreement closes the book on serious charges that the Interim Government of Haiti (IGH) manipulated vote tabulations and discarded ballots to prevent him from winning. It also allows the international community to say, after two years under the brutal and undemocratic IGH, that there is now democracy in Haiti.

The election deal gives a little something to everyone, and that’s the problem. Elections are not supposed to make everyone happy; they are supposed to apportion political power according to majority vote, on the basis of set rules. In all likelihood, a correct tabulation of the votes would have given Mr. Preval a first round victory, as exit polls and unofficial tabulations had predicted. Although the negotiated agreement reaches the same result as a correct tabulation would have reached, it does so by changing the rules instead of correcting the violations of the rules.

The deal provides leverage for those seeking to delegitimize Preval’s presidency and block the progressive social and economic policies that he was elected to implement. The election’s also-rans are already crying foul, and they will be joined by more voices from Haiti’s elite and the International Community. Soon enough, invoking “the contested elections of February 2006” will suffice to justify an array of economic and political coercion against Haiti’s elected government.

Even Leslie Manigat, the second place finisher, wins with the deal. He earned less than 12% of the votes the first time around, and had no chance of winning a fair second round vote. There were 17,000 more mistakes- unmarked or improperly marked ballots- than Manigat votes. Even if all 30 of the other losing candidates had thrown their support behind Mr. Manigat- and many had already declared for Preval- he still would have been far short of a victory.

The deal spares Mr. Manigat a drubbing in the second round, and more importantly, allows him to claim, forever, that he was cheated out of a chance to win on the second round. He got this ball rolling by immediately calling a press conference to criticize the International Community and the IGH for caving into the threat of violence.

Mr. Manigat is right that no one should have caved into the threat of violence. But they should have caved into the clear popular vote in favor of Mr. Preval.

The Problem
The defective vote tabulation is just the latest in a long string of efforts to minimize the impact of the poor voters who backed Preval. The IGH engaged in a comprehensive program to suppress political activities of the Lavalas movement, where Mr. Preval drew most of his support, in the ten months before the elections. Several prominent politicians were not able to participate as candidates or activists because they were kept in jail illegally. Political prisoners included Haiti’s last constitutional Prime Minister, a former member of the House of Deputies, the former Minister of the Interior, and dozens of local officials and grassroots activists. When Haiti’s most prominent dissident, Rev. Gerard Jean-Juste, was diagnosed with leukemia, it took a massive campaign, including intervention of top U.S. Republicans, just to obtain his provisional release for desperately needed treatment.

Making Registration Difficult
The voting registration process systematically discouraged poor rural and urban voters from signing up. Where Haiti’s democratic government provided over 10,000 voter registration centers for elections in 2000, the IGH installed less than 500. The offices would have been too few and far between for many voters even if they had been evenly distributed. But placement was heavily weighted in favor of areas likely to support the IGH and its allies. Halfway through the registration period, for example, there were three offices in the upscale suburb of Petionville, and the same number in the large and largely roadless Central Plateau Department. In cities, the poor neighborhoods were the last to get registration centers, and Cite Soleil, the largest poor neighborhood of all, never got one.

Complaints and protests forced the IGH to extend the registration period three times and open additional registration facilities. Eventually over 3.5 million voters registered, about three-quarters of the estimated eligible voters. But we will never know how many voters could not get to a registration center, or gave up after losing too many precious work days in the effort. We do know that the registration difficulties disproportionately impacted the rural and urban poor, who voted overwhelmingly for Preval.

Making Campaigning Difficult
Neither the Lavalas movement nor the Preval campaign was able to effectively engage in pre-election campaigning. Police repeatedly fired guns at peaceful pro-Lavalas demonstrations throughout the two years of the IGH’s reign. In January, a pro-government gang destroyed structures erected for a Preval campaign speech in the town of St. Marc, canceling the event. No arrests were made. Violence and threats of violence forced the cancellation of subsequent events, even the campaign’s grand finale the week before the election.
Election Day Vote Suppression

The IGH had limited the voting centers to 807, which would have been inadequate even if the elections had run smoothly (Los Angeles County, with a slightly larger population but only 37% of Haiti’s land area and infinitely better private and public transportation, had about 4,400 polling places in November 2005). But by 1 PM on election day, Reuters’ headline read: “Chaos, fraud claims mar Haiti election.” Most election offices opened late and lacked ballots or other materials; many did not become fully functional until mid-afternoon. Voters arrived at the designated centers to find the center had been moved at the last minute. Many who found the center identified on their voting card waited in line for hours only to be told they could not vote because their names were not on the list. At some centers, tens of thousands of voters were crammed into a single building, creating confusion, and in one case a deadly stampede.

As with the registration deficiencies, the poor bore the lion’s share of the election day problems. The two voting centers for Cite Soleil, both located well outside the neighborhood, saw the worst. One of the two, the Carrefour Aviation site, was transferred at the last minute to a single building where 32,000 voters had to find the right line to wait in without posted instructions, lists of names or an information center. Throughout the day, journalists and observers noted over and over that centers in Petionville and other wealthy areas were better organized and equipped.

As with registration, many voters persevered despite the obstacles. After frustrated would-be voters took to the streets in spontaneous protests, the IGH made concessions, such as keeping the polls open later and allowing people with voting cards whose names were not on the local list to vote in some places. By the end of the day, most voting centers were operating at a minimal level, and over 60% of registered voters did vote. But we will never know how many people gave up, because they were sick or frustrated or needed to get back to their families.

Counting Some of the Votes

After the problems with registration and voting, Mr. Preval’s supporters were pleasantly surprised that the Provisional Electoral Council, or CEP, gave him a large lead in initial reports. On Thursday, the CEP announced that with 22% of the votes counted, Preval had a commanding lead with 62% of the vote. Mr. Manigat trailed at 11%, and Charles Henri Baker, in third place, had 6%. Unofficial reports of the local results from international and Haitian observers and journalists consistently had Preval far over 50%. But by Saturday night the CEP had reduced Preval’s official vote to 49.61%; by Monday it was at 48.7%, about 22,500 votes below 50%.

The IGH claims that Preval’s decrease was the result of more information coming in and better calculations. But many questions about the tabulation process, combined with the efforts to suppress the Lavalas vote before and during election day, raise doubts about those claims. On Tuesday afternoon, Mr. Preval claimed that he had proof that he won 54% of the vote and that the Electoral Council had fraudulently reduced his number.

Shortly after Mr. Preval’s announcement, Haitian television broadcast such proof: thousands of ballots, some burnt, most of them Preval votes, found in a dump near Cite Soleil, and not far from the CEP’s tabulation center. Preval’s opponents claim that his supporters dumped the ballots as a provocation after his speech. But that theory does not explain why witnesses report seeing the ballots at the dump for a day before the speech, nor how thousands of ballots were removed from CEP custody.

A large number of tally sheets from polling centers are not being counted. 254 sheets were destroyed, reportedly by gangs from political parties opposed to Preval. 504 tally sheets reportedly lack the codes needed to enter them officially. The missing tally sheets probably represent about 190,000 votes- over 9% of the total votes cast- and according to the UN, disproportionately affect poor areas that support Preval. Mr. Preval would not have needed to win an overwhelming percentage of these 190,000 votes to increase his lead by the 22,500.

Who’s In Charge?

The Electoral Council, which was named through a complicated process in 2004, is supposed to be running the tabulation of votes. In fact, Jacques Bernard, who was appointed “Executive Director” of the Council- a position not previously recognized in Haitian law- by the Prime Minister late last year, is running the Council’s activities. Councilor Pierre Richard Duchemin charges Mr. Bernard with “manipulation” of the results, and “an effort to stop people from asking questions.” Another Councilor, Patrick Fequiere, claims that Mr. Bernard is working without the Council and not telling them where his information is coming from. The UN Peacekeeping mission was forced to remove the doors to the tabulation center to prevent Mr. Bernard and his advisors from acting secretly.

Null and Blank Votes

Electoral officials have discarded 147,765 votes, over 7% of the total, as “null.” Article 185 of the Electoral Code allows officials to nullify ballots if they “cannot recognize the intention or political will of the elector.” As the U.S. experience with butterfly ballots and hanging chads demonstrated, voters are going to make mistakes even under the best conditions. Haiti’s conditions were far from the best- Presidential ballots were complicated, with 33 candidates, each with a photo, an emblem and the names of the candidate and the party; voters were tired from walking and waiting; some voting was done in the dark by candlelight; and many voters are unused to filling out forms or writing. All these factors could lead to a high number of mistakes-like marking two boxes- that made determining the voters’ choice impossible.

But 147,765 voided votes is a high number, suspiciously high since the decision to nullify was made by local officials handpicked by an Electoral Council that had no representation from Preval’s Lespwa party or Lavalas. Overly strict criterion (such as requiring an “x” to be completely within a candidate’s box), even if neutrally applied, would have had a disproportionate impact on poor voters, who are more unused to filling out forms than their better-heeled compatriots, and therefore more likely to make mistakes.

Another group of votes, 85,290, or 4.6% of he total valid votes, are classified as blank ballots. These votes were actually counted against Preval, because under the election law they are included in the total number of valid votes that provides the baseline for the 50% threshold. This is a potentially reasonable system, just unreasonably applied to Haiti. In principle the system allows voters to show their displeasure with all the candidates by voting for no one, which can make sense in places where voting is easier. In practice the system makes no sense in Haiti- it is absurd to think that 85,000 people, many without enough to eat, would leave their babies, their fields and other work and spend hours walking or waiting in the tropical heat just to say they did not like any of the 33 candidates. A more likely explanation is that some voters got confused by the complicated ballots and marked nothing. Again, this problem would disproportionately affect poor voters likely to vote for Preval.

The blank and null ballots combined exceeded Mr. Manigat’s vote by 17,000. The rules for blank and null votes are consistent with previous Haitian elections, so it is hard to call the rules themselves fraudulent. But the scale of the distortion of the vote caused by these rules was both foreseeable and preventable. The same problem has arisen at every election since 1990, most of which were observed by the UN and the Organization of American States, which were active in preparing the elections this time around. The distortion could be sharply reduced with a simple voter education campaign: going into poor neighborhoods, demonstrating how to mark ballots and giving voters an opportunity to practice on sample ballots.

There was money available for such a program- the election cost over $70 million dollars, more than $30 for every vote cast- most of it coming from abroad. The political parties, many of which represented a fraction of one percent of the electorate, received generous subsidies. But no concerted effort was made to help the much larger share of the voters who had demonstrated difficulty with filling out the ballots.

The Best Solution

The remedy to the problems with the vote tabulation should have been to carefully redo the calculations, in the open. First, the math from all the calculations that were previously made should have been checked against the original tally sheets. Where the tally sheets lacked the codes, the local officials should have been tracked down to confirm that the results are correct.

In the case of electoral materials intercepted on the way to the CEP, it is possible to reconstruct the result through the Electoral Code’s backup systems. The actual counting of the ballots is done on site, immediately after the closing of the polls, by each Bureau de Vote (each Bureau serves 400 voters). The Bureau officials conduct the counting, but are observed by mandataires, or representatives of political parties. A report listing the results of the counting is prepared, and at least six copies are made. The Bureau officials and the mandataires all sign each of the copies if they agree with the report. The copies are then distributed widely: one is posted on the voting center door, one copy each is sent to the Communal Electoral Office, the Departmental Electoral Office, and the Electoral Council, and each mandataire is entitled to one.

Presumably these copies will leave the Bureau in many different directions. It may be easy to intercept the official results in some areas, but it would be much harder to track down all the copies in the hands of mandataires. It would be difficult for a mandataire to introduce a fraudulent copy of the results that were intercepted, because that would require forging several signatures.

The null votes could have been rechecked through a procedure that applied consistent rules across the country. The null ballots are supposed to be segregated in a separate envelope, so it would be easy to go through the envelopes from a few Bureaus, to ascertain whether there were enough improperly nullified ballots to justify a comprehensive review. If Preval could have added 22,500 votes to his lead from the 147,000 null votes, this alone would have put him over the top.

The blank ballot rule is inappropriate, and it should be changed. But it should be changed for Haiti’s next election, when it should be less of a problem anyway because of better voter education.

The ballots found in the Cite Soleil dump could have been traced. All ballots are numbered, and each Bureau keeps a record of the numbers on the ballots it used and did not use. The chain of custody could have been followed, to see how the ballots left CEP custody.

Following these procedures would have been time consuming, but it would have provided verifiable answers to the questions raised about the vote tabulation, and a clear answer as to whether Mr. Preval needed to face a second round. It also would have provided other answers- whether the charges of manipulation in the tabulations were justified, and who diverted the ballots to the Cite Soleil dump.

In giving up his right to a correct tabulation of the vote, Mr. Preval probably calculated that the international community, which had not complained about the inadequate registration and voting facilities, and only lightly complained about the IGH’s political prisoners, would show similar restraint when faced with tabulation irregularities. And he knew that if the first round could be stolen from him, the second round could as well.

The Chosen Solution

The negotiators, instead of correcting the tabulation, decided to change the rules for the calculation of blank votes. They allotted blank votes to the candidates’ totals proportionately to each one’s existing vote share. So Preval got 48.7% of the blank votes, Manigat 12%, etc., which pushed Preval up over the 50% bar. This solution does make sense- it assumes, probably correctly, that the blank votes resulted from confusion, and allocates the votes accordingly. The result is the same as if the CEP simply discarded the blank votes, and treated them the same as null votes.

But what is sensible is not always what is legal. Preval’s opponents know that a regime that can be negotiated into power can be negotiated out of power. They have already staked out the position that Preval is illegitimate because the deal changed the rules of the game in the middle of the contest. They will keep saying it, and will soon enough be joined by the International Community who will keep saying it. In the not-too-distant future, the election’s illegitimacy will be accepted as “fact” in the elite Haitian and international press, at the UN, the OAS and the International Financial Institutions. The “fact” will justify withholding money for schools and hospitals, and sending money to political parties with no electoral support. The fact that Mr. Manigat had no chance of winning a second round, widely acknowledged now, will be forgotten or never learned by the next rotation of diplomats and journalists to Haiti.

Conclusion

An editorial in this Friday’s New York Times proclaims that this future begins now. The Times declares that the election deal “tarnishes the democratic legitimacy” of Preval’s landslide. It recommends that Preval remove the tarnish by “reaching out to his opponents” (e.g. pursuing policies that the voters rejected), and “reining in his violence-prone supporters.” The editorial did not suggest that Mr. Preval’s opponents, many of whom were key players in the violent overthrow of Haiti’s democracy two years ago which led to thousands of deaths, rein in their supporters. Nor, when it declared that “Haiti will need international support for a long time,” did the Times mention its own groundbreaking report of January 29 that the U.S., among other members of the International Community, intentionally undermined and overthrew Haiti’s elected government in 2004.

Although the Times does not find the context of two weeks or two years ago relevant, it does catalogue Preval’s sins from his first administration, and it is a fair bet that we will hear this list often over the next five years. The police “remained brutal and corrupt” (by any account, the police have become much more brutal and much more corrupt under the IGH); “no progress was made toward creating a competent judiciary” (Preval’s administration saw the two best human rights prosecutions in Haiti’s history in 2000, both lauded by the UN, Amnesty International and, among others, the New York Times; Preval also made the Judges Academy, dismantled by the IGH, operational); “legislative elections were badly flawed;” “drug trafficking flourished;” etc.

Last week’s election was Haiti’s fourth Presidential election since 1990. The previous three- 1990, 1995 and 2000- were all conducted without serious violence. Each time, the voters supported the candidate of the Lavalas political movement at levels unheard of in “mature democracies”-no runner-up ever topped 16% of the vote. But each time a minority in Haiti, with support from the International Community, successfully limited this mandate. President Jean-Bertrand Aristide, the victor in the first and third of those elections, suffered two successful coup d’etats, and spent half of his two terms in exile. President Preval managed to spend his whole term in office and pass power to an elected successor (the first Haitian President to do so), but a manufactured political crisis and perpetual squabbling about the extent of the Lavalas landslides prevented the seating of a legislature. More important, the crisis successfully diverted President Preval’s energies and attention away from the economic and social development policies he was elected to implement.

Haiti’s politics are not parlor games. Each coup d’etat leads to thousands of deaths, and many more times that are killed by diseases that would be prevented or treated by the programs of a less embattled government. The life expectancy for men in Haiti has dropped below 50. It is far past time for the International Community to stop condemning Haiti to repeating this outrageously unjust history.

Preval declared victor in Haiti presidential elections

2006-02-16T08:39:00.000-05:00

By Stevenson Jacobs, Associated Press Writer, February 16, 2006, 8:30 AM EST, PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti -- Rene Preval was declared the winner of Haiti's presidential election Thursday under an agreement between the interim government and electoral council, staving off a crisis over last week's disputed vote in the Western Hemisphere's poorest country.

With nearly all the votes counted, Preval had been just shy of the 50.1 percent margin needed to avoid a runoff next month. Under the agreement, some of the 85,000 blank ballots cast in the Feb. 7 election were subtracted from the total number of votes counted, giving Preval a majority, said Michel Brunache, chief of Cabinet for interim President Boniface Alexandre.

``We acknowledge the final decision of the electoral council and salute the election of Mr. Rene Preval as president of the Republic of Haiti,'' Prime Minister Gerard Latortue told The Associated Press by telephone after the agreement was made.

Haitians celebrated in the street Thursday as word of Preval's win spread.

``I'm so happy because we have what we were looking for,'' said Elvia Pressoir, 36, who clutched Preval campaign leaflets while waiting outside Preval's sister's house for him to appear. ``With Preval, we'll have security, jobs and life will get back to normal.''

The agreement, which Brunache said was signed by members of the electoral council and several government ministers, came during a late Wednesday night meeting of government and election officials in the electoral council offices.

The blank votes represented 4 percent of the estimated 2.2 million ballots cast. By removing some of the blank ballots from the total count, Preval's share of the vote rose from 49.76 percent to 51.15 percent, Brunache said.

``We have reached a solution to the problem,'' Provisional Electoral Council president Max Mathurin said. ``We feel a huge satisfaction at having liberated the country from a truly difficult situation.''

The agreement capped a dramatic nine days since Haitians turned out in droves for an election seen as crucial to avoiding a political and economic meltdown in the destitute Caribbean nation. Gangs have gone on kidnapping sprees and factories have closed for lack of security in the two years since former President Jean-Bertrand Aristide's ouster.

Some 7,300 U.N. troops and 1,750 international police are in the country under Brazilian command, helping to maintain order.

Voters almost overwhelmed poll workers by their numbers on election day. When returns were slow in coming, suspicion built that the vote count was being rigged.

At least one Preval supporter died in massive street protests against alleged fraud, though the demonstrations mostly were peaceful. Preval, a 63-year-old former president, had vowed to challenge the results if officials insisted on holding a March runoff.

On Tuesday, Haitian TV reported the discovery of ballots discarded in a garbage dump near the capital. AP reporters visited the site Wednesday and saw thousands of ballots, some marked for Preval, deep in the dump along with a vote tally sheet and four bags meant to carry returns from the election.

The discovery troubled U.N. officials because the bags were not supposed to be thrown out. U.N. official Catherine Sung, an electoral adviser at the vote tabulation center, told the AP the signed bags were meant to contain annulled and blank votes.

Later Wednesday, the U.N. mission in Haiti issued a statement urging ``the Haitian authorities to investigate fully and prosecute anyone found guilty of this apparent grave breach of the electoral process.''

Another 125,000 ballots also were declared invalid because of irregularities, further fueling suspicions of fraud.

Preval, the son of a former government official, has vowed to crack down on hardened criminals blamed for spreading terror in the capital, Port-au-Prince. The shy, soft-spoken candidate has been coy, though, on whether he would welcome back his one-time ally Aristide, who is in exile in South Africa.

The election was billed as a move to restore democracy in the nation of 8 million, but it is a daunting task. With decades of brain drain, capital flight and crippling judicial, security, health and corruption problems, Haiti needs more than a quick electoral fix, experts say.

Once the richest colony in the Americas, Haiti has been impoverished since the world's only successful slave rebellion forced out French colonizers and a series of corrupt military and civilian dictators began ruling the country in 1804.

The country was ruled for nearly 30 years by dictators Francois ``Papa Doc'' Duvalier and his son Jean-Claude ``Baby Doc'' Duvalier, who fled to France in 1986 amid allegations of human rights violations, mass killings and stealing millions from the national treasury.

Today, most Haitians are unemployed or get by on odd jobs. The majority live in the deforested countryside with no electricity, clean drinking water or health care.

U.N. police sent to recover voting bags, ballots amid claims of fraud

2006-02-15T21:00:00.000-05:00

PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti, 8:39 p.m. ET Feb. 15, 2006 -- U.N. police rushed Wednesday to recover official voting bags, marked ballots and other election materials found in a garbage dump. Supporters of presidential candidate Rene Preval marched through the capital, claiming fraud.

Associated Press journalists saw thousands of ballots, some marked for Preval, deep in the dump along with a vote tally sheet and four bags meant to carry returns from the Feb. 7 elections.

With 90 percent of the returns counted, Preval was just short of the majority needed for a first-round victory. He claimed Tuesday that “massive fraud or gross errors” had been committed and vowed to challenge the results if officials insist on holding a March runoff.

Local TV Tuesday night showed the discarded ballots at the dump. AP journalists who went to the fly-infested site Wednesday morning found the voting bags among the thousands of ballots, some marked, some blank. Three of the bags were signed by presidents of local election bureaus.

The discovery troubled U.N. officials because the bags were not supposed to be thrown out.

“They’re supposed to be kept,” U.N. official Catherine Sung, an electoral adviser who works at the main vote tabulation center, told the AP.

Wrong bags discarded
Shown photographs of the signed bags, Sung said they were meant to contain annulled and blank votes. The journalists also saw a green tally sheet of votes, but U.N. officials said that was not important because it was a copy of the original given to political party representatives.

Preval backers — who have held massive demonstrations, erected barricades and stormed into a luxury hotel this week to protest alleged fraud — said election officials were attempting to annul votes for him to force a runoff.

If some of the annulled ballots and the corresponding bags have been discarded, it could skew any possible recount. Asked if it was important the bags be retained and not thrown out, Sung said: “Yes, of course.”

U.N. spokesman David Wimhurst said Tuesday night after the TV news images of the dumped ballots were shown that someone may have dumped the ransacked ballots to create an appearance of fraud.

When told by the AP Wednesday morning of the discovery of the bags and of a tally sheet at the site, he said: “That’s extraordinary.” U.N. police were dispatched to retrieve what they could.

Election materials removed
Hundreds of people have been carrying away the election materials, some to brandish at street protests. The reeking dump is located more than two miles down a pitted dirt road from a paved highway. The election materials were strewn over at least two acres deep in the smoldering dump.

Jean-Ricot Guerrier, who lives near the site, said the election material was dumped by a truck the day after the election and that someone tried to burn the material before rainfall put out the fire. Impoverished children picking through the garbage found the ballots, he said.

“We’ve been trying to call the media about this for days, but no one came until yesterday,” he said.

At the dump, Cilius Apolon, 33, walked over the discarded ballots and past smashed white plastic ballot boxes, and expressed disgust.

“I got up very early in the morning to vote last week,” Apolon said. “This shows disrespect for the Haitian people.”

The interim government said an investigation has been launched.

“We are looking closely at specimens of the ballots found at the dump, to check whether these are real ballots,” said Michel Brunache, chief of staff to interim President Boniface Alexandre.

Meanwhile, foreign envoys were discussing a Brazilian plan to persuade the other candidates to recognize Preval’s victory and thus prevent a mass uprising, according to Marco Aurelio Garcia, foreign affairs adviser to Brazil’s president.

International forces keeping peace
Some 7,300 U.N. troops and 1,750 international police are in the country under Brazilian command, helping maintain order. The U.N. mission replaced a U.S.-led force that arrived after an uprising toppled President Jean-Bertrand Aristide in February 2004.

A popularly elected government with a clear mandate is seen as crucial to avoiding a political and economic meltdown in the Western Hemisphere’s poorest nation. Gangs have gone on kidnapping sprees and factories have closed for lack of security.

Preval urged his followers Tuesday to continue protesting nonviolently. Scattered demonstrations occurred Wednesday in Port-au-Prince, with protesters waving Haitian flags and Preval posters.

Haiti’s interim government ordered the count suspended with 90 percent of the votes tallied, pending a review of vote tally sheets by an investigative commission. But Max Mathurin, the electoral council president, said Wednesday that election workers were ignoring the government order and continuing to tabulate results.

“The government and the established commission can’t under any circumstances ask or order the cancellation of the operations,” Mathurin told Radio Metropole. Workers have completed 92 percent of the vote count, he added, while refusing to release any more information. “When everything is ready, we’re going to publish the official results,” he said.

Mathurin denied that the electoral council had manipulated the vote count. “We’re working transparently. If Preval has 50 percent plus one vote, he will be the president. If that’s not the case, there will be a second round.”

The electoral council’s latest published results show Preval — a former president and agronomist — having 48.76 percent of the vote with 90 percent of ballots counted. In second place was Leslie Manigat, also a former president, with 11.8 percent.

In Haiti, dozens of ballot boxes found at landfill

2006-02-15T20:27:00.000-05:00

PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti, South Florida Sun-Sentinel - Haiti's troubled elections were dealt another blow Wednesday with the discovery of dozens of ballot boxes and polling materials scattered across a landfill just outside the capital city.

The discovery seemed to back charges by front-runner Rene Preval that fraud and "gross errors" plagued the Feb. 7 presidential contest, though it was impossible to tell just how many votes for Preval ended up in the garbage.

"Just look at this - this is what the rich of this country think of our votes," said Renel Duqueres, a landfill worker who said he began noticing the ballot boxes being dumped last week. "They just kept coming and coming, and we burned a lot of them. But then it just became too much."

As pigs and goats rooted through huge mounds of smoldering garbage covering dozens of acres, Haitians from nearby villages waved discarded ballots Wednesday that showed Preval's box checked as an apparent vote. But some ballots showed markings for other candidates; others had no marks at all.

"This is really quite disturbing, and it looks like it's going to mess up things quite a bit," said David Wimhurst, spokesman for the United Nations, which has backed this country's interim government with a 9,000-man military force since a 2004 rebellion ousted former President Jean-Bertrand Aristide.

With 90 percent of ballots counted in the presidential race, Preval leads with 48.7 percent of the vote, followed by former President Leslie Manigat with 11.8 percent. Preval needs a simple majority to avoid a runoff, and he contends that the vote was sabotaged to shrink his lead.

Michel Brunache, chief of staff for President Boniface Alexandre, said on Haitian radio Wednesday that the interim government is forming a commission with election officials and Preval's aides to review allegations of vote fraud.

But no authority could say when the commission would meet or how long its investigation would last. Behind the scenes, U.N. diplomats continued to huddle with Haitian leaders and ambassadors from the United States and other countries to find a way out of the mess. Brazil, whose military leads the U.N. peacekeeping force in Haiti, was pushing a plan to declare Preval the winner in an effort to avoid another nationwide rebellion.

Meanwhile, the United Nations and Haiti's election council hurled charges back and forth over who had custody of the ballots.

"We were in charge of security for the votes, and we did our job. The votes under our control were handed over" to the Haitian Provisional Electoral Council, said Wimhurst. Both Wimhurst and Brunache said that the ballots in the landfill could have come from nine polling places that were ransacked on Election Day. Or, they said, they could be blank ballots dumped in an effort to sabotage the elections by discrediting them in the eyes of the Haitian public. All ballots and election materials, including unmarked ballots, were to be sealed and taken to the election tabulation center.

Among the materials discovered at the landfill by the South Florida Sun-Sentinel was a Senate tally sheet for a polling place in Carrefour, a Port-au-Prince suburb where no irregularities were reported. It was one of several tally sheets found by reporters Wednesday.

One of the names on the tally sheet was that of Jean-Herlin Beaublanc, who was an election observer for Preval's party at the polling place. "Yes, that's the tally sheet, but I don't have any idea what happened to the votes," Beaublanc said. "The whole place was a mess. It opened up five hours late, and they kicked us out in the afternoon because it was so disorganized. I didn't see what they did with the votes."

One way out of the growing crisis may be to discard so-called blank ballots - which under Haitian law must be included in the total votes cast - that were tabulated during the past week, an idea being floated by some diplomats.

Eliminating the blank ballots would reduce the total number of ballots counted, giving each candidate a larger share of the votes. If all the blanks are discarded, then Preval would win with about 51 percent of the vote, one diplomat said.

A large proportion of votes, about 4.7 percent, were blank, showing no choice for president among the 33 candidates. Though some Caribbean and Latin American countries have a tradition of submitting blank ballots as protest votes, "this was a pretty high number, and it does look suspicious on its face," said an international diplomat closely involved with the elections process. "It's hard to believe that people woke up at 3 a.m., walked five miles and stood in lines for hours to submit blank ballots.

"What we think happened is that at some polling stations the workers just tossed in unused ballots with everything else, and they got counted," said the diplomat, who didn't want his name used because of the sensitivity of the situation. "That's going to be one of the negotiating points, like everything else here," he said. "Who knows how long this could last. Nothing is ever simple in Haiti, especially at election time."

U.N. Guards Dump Where Vote Boxes Found

2006-02-15T15:23:00.000-05:00

PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti, Feb. 15, 2006 (AP) U.N. officials sent troops to a garbage dump near the Haitian capital to collect hundreds of smashed ballot boxes and vote count material on Wednesday, more than a week after Haiti's disputed presidential elections.

Associated Press journalists saw hundreds of empty ballot boxes, at least one vote tally sheet and several empty bags, numbered and signed by the heads of polling stations, strewn across the fly infested dump five miles north of the capital.

"That's extraordinary," said U.N. spokesman David Wimhurst.

Leading candidate Rene Preval has alleged that the Feb. 7 vote was marred by "massive fraud or gross errors" designed to leave him just short of the majority needed for a first-round presidential victory.

A wave of chaotic protests by Preval supporters sent foreign diplomats scrambling for peaceful solutions.

Ambassadors from countries "directly involved in the crisis" were discussing a Brazilian plan to persuade the other candidates to recognize Preval's victory and thus prevent a mass uprising, according to Marco Aurelio Garcia, foreign affairs adviser to Brazilian president Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva.

In New York, the U.N. Security Council urged Haitians to respect election results and refrain from violence, and it extended the Brazilian-led U.N. peacekeeping mission in Haiti for six months, until Aug. 15.

Haiti's interim government had ordered the count suspended with 90 percent of the votes tallied, pending a review of vote tally sheets by an investigative commission representing the president's office, the electoral council and Preval's party.

"We are looking closely at specimens of the ballots found at the dump, to check whether these are real ballots," said Michel Brunache, chief of staff of interim President Boniface Alexandre. He said the ballots were being examined by the judiciary, because the investigating commission had not yet been formed.

But Max Mathurin, the electoral council president, said Wednesday that election workers are ignoring the government order and continuing to tabulate results.

"The government and the established commission can't under any circumstances ask or order the cancellation of the operations," Mathurin told Radio Metropole. Workers have completed 92 percent of the vote count, he added, while refusing to release any more information. "When everything is ready, we're going to publish the official results," he said.

Mathurin also denied that the electoral had manipulated the vote count. "We're working transparently _ If Preval has 50 percent plus one vote, he will be the president. If that's not the case, there will be a second round."

Of the 2.2 million ballots cast, about 125,000 ballots have been declared invalid because of irregularities, raising suspicions among Preval supporters. Another 4 percent were blank but were still added into the total, making it harder for Preval to obtain a majority.

The electoral council's latest published results show Preval _ a former president and agronomist _ having 48.76 percent of the vote with 90 percent of ballots counted. A former protege of ousted President Jean-Bertrand Aristide who likewise enjoys wide support among Haiti's poor majority, Preval has urged his supporters to continue protesting nonviolently.

Preval also has vowed to formally challenge the results if officials insist on holding a March runoff. Haiti's constitution indicates that a challenge would go to the Supreme Court, but the interim government recently decreed that any complaints should go to the electoral commission _ the same body accused of manipulating the results.

Late Tuesday, the local Telemax TV news broadcast images from the dump north of the capital showing smashed white ballot boxes with wads of ballots strewn about. Ballot after ballot was marked for Preval.

Among the bags seen by AP was one vote tally sheet from the Port-au-Prince neighborhood of Carrefour that recorded 129 votes for Preval out of 202 cast.

A man picking through the dump, Jean-Ricot Guerrier, said the material was dumped by a truck the day after the election, and that someone had tried to burn the material before rainfall put out the fire.

Wimhurst said the ballots could have come from any of nine polling stations across the country that were ransacked on election day, forcing officials to throw out up to 35,000 votes. At least one voting center was destroyed by people tired of waiting in line and others were destroyed by political factions, he said.

Both Wimhurst and Mathurin raised the possibility that someone dumped the ransacked ballots to create an appearance of fraud, and Mathurin said U.N. troops would be responsible for any unprotected ballots. U.N. provided security for the vote and helped ship election returns to the capital, but is not directly involved in counting ballots.

A runoff election would pit Preval against second-place finisher Leslie Manigat, also a former president, who received 11.8 percent with 90 percent of the vote counted. Manigat's wife, Myrlande Manigat, declined to say whether anyone had approached him about withdrawing.

Haiti's Preval claims vote fraud, burnt ballots found

2006-02-15T09:10:00.000-05:00

PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti, Wed Feb 15, 2006 4:08 AM GMT (Reuters) - Former Haitian President Rene Preval said on Tuesday massive fraud had prevented him from winning a first-round victory in last week's election but the government had agreed to delay publishing the result while he gathered proof.

A few hours after he spoke, hundreds and possibly thousands of burnt and still smoldering ballots, many cast a week ago for Preval, were found on a Port-au-Prince garbage dump, outraging Preval supporters and setting off demonstrations after nightfall.

A one-time ally of ousted President Jean-Bertrand Aristide and opposed by the wealthy elite who drove Aristide out two years ago. Preval called earlier for his supporters to continue their protests but to tear down barricades of smoking tires and rubble that had brought Port-au-Prince to a standstill.

"We are sure of having won in the first round," Preval said at his sister's hilltop home on the outskirts of the Haitian capital, where his angry supporters thronged through the streets on Monday, storming the city's top luxury hotel.

"We are convinced there was massive fraud and gross errors that affected the process," he said in his first major comments since last Tuesday's vote.

The impoverished Caribbean nation of 8.5 million has been on tenterhooks for a week amid concern that election officials were manipulating the ballot, the first since Aristide fled into exile, to force Preval into a March 19 runoff.

Results, unchanged since Monday, gave Preval 48.7 percent of the vote with 90 percent counted. He needs a simple majority to avoid a second round.

"If they publish these results as they are, we will contest them and if Lespwa (Preval's political movement) contests them, the Haitian people will contest them," Preval said.

Members of the provisional electoral council said the demonstrations and roadblocks that have afflicted Port-au-Prince since Sunday had prevented ballot workers from completing the count anyway.

Rosemond Pradel, secretary general of the council, promised an investigation after charred ballot papers were found in a large state dump in the capital.

"That's absolutely unacceptable," said Pradel.

He said securing the ballots after they had been cast was the responsibility of the 9,000-strong U.N. force trying to keep the peace in Haiti.

U.N. spokesman David Wimhurst said ballots were supposed to have been sealed in bags and placed in a container, protected by U.N. troops. "It's not normal to have these ballots there."

Wimhurst suggested the discarded ballots could have come from nine polling stations outside Port-au-Prince ransacked during the election, with the loss of around 35,000 votes.

In the district of Truitier, where the burnt ballots were found, angry Preval supporters and local residents denounced what they saw as an attempt to deny them a voice in Haiti's fractious and fragile democracy.

"They took all Preval's ballots. They threw them away in order to prevent the vote of the people from passing. That is a crime," said Rene Monplaisir, an official in the Preval campaign.

While many of Preval's presidential rivals have conceded he won an easy victory, some, including third-placed industrialist Charles Baker, considered the candidate of the wealthy elite, have vowed to join forces in a second round.

Ex-President Leslie Manigat was in second place with 11.8 percent and Baker was third with 7.9 percent.

Preval said his campaign had credible evidence the vote count had been manipulated. He cited an independent tabulation by the National Democratic Institute, a U.S. nonprofit group, which showed he had carried 54 percent of the vote.

Mr Preval's error and stabilising Haiti

2006-02-15T08:57:00.000-05:00

Wednesday, February 15, 2006, Jamaica Observer. The latest developments in Haiti provide a bittersweet experience for us. For we were heartened by the voter turnout last week in our sister Caribbean country as Haitians flocked to the polls to exercise their constitutional right to elect a president. Now, however, we have cause for concern as the electoral council appears to be marking time with the election results and Mr Rene Preval has, in our judgement, erred in asking his supporters to protest peacefully against what he says is "massive fraud or gross errors" in the process.

Let us make it very clear that we believe in, and support Mr Preval's right to request an investigation into the electoral process once he believes that there have been irregularities.

We would support, too, his call for peaceful protest if Haiti was a stable society. But the reality is that it is not. For even before Mr Preval spoke yesterday, his supporters, suspecting some form of chicanery in the counting of the votes, started protesting on Sunday and on Monday erected and set fire to roadblocks in Port-au-Prince, the Haitian capital.

Their fear was that an attempt was being made to prevent Mr Preval, the former protégé of ousted President Jean-Bertrand Aristide, from getting the 50 per cent plus one vote he needs to win the presidency and avoid a March runoff against second-place finisher Mr Leslie Manigat.

Not surprisingly, in such a charged atmosphere, shots were fired and at least one protester was killed. Mr Preval, therefore, ran the risk of inflaming passions, despite his pacifist posture. Because people who have been denied their democratic rights for as long as the Haitian people, are hardly likely to remain calm if they perceive that efforts are being made to undermine their franchise.

If the reports coming out of Haiti are accurate, Mr Preval needs to appeal to his supporters to allow election workers free passage to the election centres in order that they may complete the vote count quickly, before the country descends deeper into chaos.

But it seems to us that the electoral council also owes the Haitian people an explanation as to what caused the delay in the final results beyond last weekend's expected release.

The bottom line is that the country needs to settle down and set about the business of improving the quality of life of its citizens. That, we accept, will not be easy, but Haiti's Caricom neighbours and the international community, we believe, are willing to assist.

Negotiations may decide outcome as protests ease

2006-02-15T07:15:00.001-05:00

PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti, February 15, 2006, South Florida Sun-Sentinel-- Even as he alleged a "gigantic fraud" designed to sabotage his presidential victory, Rene Preval urged supporters on Tuesday to tone down massive demonstrations that have paralyzed Haiti the past two days.

The remarks seemed to signal a period of calm as diplomats and other candidates rushed to rescue an election process perilously close to collapse. They must now examine ballots and possibly negotiate a compromise to avoid a runoff election that some fear could plunge the country into chaos. The interim government late Tuesday ordered a review of the election results, The Associated Press reported.

Several leading candidates declared their support for Preval on Haitian radio Monday and Tuesday. But Leslie Manigat, who finished second, said he would not drop out of the race. Neither would third-place finisher Charles Henri Baker, a wealthy industrialist.

About 10 percent of about 2.2 million ballots cast remained to be tallied, but some ballot reports are missing or were damaged in unexplained incidents after the election on Feb. 7, Rosemond Pradel, the secretary general of the Provisional Electoral Council, said on Tuesday afternoon.

About 125,000 ballots were ruled invalid because of irregularities, such as the way they were marked. Another 4 percent of the ballots were blank but added into the total, which Preval supporters say makes it harder for him to get the 50 percent plus one vote needed to win without a runoff.

All of these practices were part of the agreed-upon election rules, said Pradel, a former Pembroke Pines resident. He is a member of the nine-person council supervising the first elections since President Jean-Bertrand Aristide was ousted two years ago.

Preval, who leads a 33-man field with 48.7 percent, said he was willing to "analyze" the returns but was adamant about being the winner. His party's reports and at least one other tabulation he cited showed he had the simple majority needed for a first-round victory.

"We are sure of having won in the first round," Preval said. "We are convinced there was a gigantic fraud and gross errors that affected the process."

As he made the charges -- unsubstantiated by either the United Nations or other independent election observers -- Preval urged the throngs burning tires and besieging election offices in his name to march peacefully and respect property.

"We want you, the Haitian people, to be mature and to be nonviolent," Preval said. "You have to keep on demonstrating, protesting ... but you have to do it respecting everything that belongs to people, their houses, their cars, their lives."

Within hours, Port-au-Prince was cleared of rusting metal barricades, burning tires and boulders that had blocked major avenues.

What was unclear is how much damage the mobilization of tens of thousands of Preval supporters has done to Haiti's elections.

"We've lost all of our workers. They're afraid to come in now, and they don't want to work," Pradel said. "I still think we can finish the process, probably with each of the leading candidates looking at each ballot and making a decision we can all live with."

"What Preval is doing is something that Lavalas has done every election -- send a mob out on the streets when things are not going their way," Pradel said, referring to the Lavalas Family, the former party of Preval and his political mentor, Aristide. He recalled 2000, when international observers criticized Lavalas-dominated Senate elections and the head of the electoral council, Leon Manus, fled the country.

The latest elections were thrown into turmoil Sunday after two officials on the council accused its chief, Director General Jacques Bernard, of manipulating the vote. Though council member Pierre Richard Duchemin offered no evidence, he alleged that Bernard was working to stave off a first-round victory for Preval.

Broadcast over Haitian radio, the remarks fed a growing suspicion among many Preval supporters that Haiti's elite were conspiring against Preval, an agronomist and former president regarded as a beloved champion of the country's poor. Adding to their ire was the four days that it took the council to post partial returns.

"Duchemin didn't like Bernard, so he started alleging fraud," Pradel said. "He never raised it with any of us, and he didn't offer any evidence."

A foreign diplomat involved with the elections said Tuesday that technically there are not enough votes left to count to give Preval a first-round win.

"We have done all the projections, and there aren't any I'm aware of that put him over," said the diplomat, who didn't want his name used because of the sensitivity of the situation.

"But this is pretty much standard practice for Haitian elections; part of them involve voting and the rest involve negotiations. We've had 90 percent of the vote recorded. Now we're going to have to negotiate the remaining 10 percent."

Haiti needs peace, legitimate vote count - Miami Herald

2006-02-15T07:15:00.000-05:00

OUR OPINION: INDEPENDENT ELECTORAL PANEL WOULD VALIDATE RESULTS

Haiti needs a legitimately elected government if it is to have any hope for a turnaround. It also needs for cooler heads to prevail until all votes are counted and credible results are announced. Such a scenario is in the best interest of clear presidential front-runner René Préval, his supporters and all who wish for a better fortune for Haiti.

It is better for Mr. Préval to wait out the electoral process to ensure results that are legally uncontestable, even if that takes more time. Conversely, it does him and Haiti no good to have a new presidency marred by electoral improprieties or violent protests.

`Be mature, nonviolent'

At this point, with questions being raised about invalidated and missing vote-tally sheets, an international panel of election experts should be convened to examine the disputed items and, ultimately, to validate Haiti's vote results.

Mr. Préval did well yesterday in calling for his supporters ''to be mature, to be responsible, to be nonviolent.'' Doing so defused some of the tension in Port-au-Prince. Those supporters had paralyzed the capital with barricades and largely peaceful protests on Monday. Their protests had raised the specter of violence if Mr. Préval were not declared the presidential winner in this first-round vote. Mr. Préval was less diplomatic in declaring that ``either massive fraud or gross errors stain the (electoral) process.''

The concerns are understandable given Haiti's history of fraudulent elections. Electoral officials didn't help by promising quick election results, thereby raising unrealistic expectations. Another problem was their release of partial results. Last week Mr. Préval appeared to have a runaway lead of 61 percent of the vote in a field of 33 candidates. On Monday the number had dropped to 49 percent, with 90 percent of ballots counted, raising suspicions of fraud.

That's why the international community, including the U.S. government, should recruit independent election experts to review any questionable vote tallies and affirm that good-faith efforts have been made to find and include all valid votes in the election counts.

Popular candidate

This would boost the transparency and credibility of the process. We also urge Mr. Préval to accept the results validated by such a process. Even if the election goes to a second-round vote, Mr. Préval is far and away the most popular candidate. Following the legal electoral process would set a precedent for the rule of law, which is sorely needed in Haiti.

In the meantime, the U.N. Security Council did well to extend the mandate of the U.N. peacekeeping mission in Haiti and urge Haitians to maintain the peace. Haiti has had too much political violence for too long. This is the opportunity for a fresh start.

Haiti to review election results

2006-02-14T21:36:00.000-05:00

PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti, Feb. 14, 2006. 09:21 PM (AP) — Haiti’s interim government has ordered a review of election results amid accusations of electoral fraud, the country’s interior minister said Tuesday.

“The government wants to make sure that everything with the process is correct,” interim interior minister Paul Magloire said.

“We’re going to review the results because we want to make sure what we have is right.” Earlier Tuesday, leading presidential candidate Rene Preval claimed that “gross errors” and likely fraud marred the vote that could see him fall just short of a first-round victory, and he said he would contest the results.

He also urged supporters to protest peacefully, a day after at least one pro-Preval demonstrator was killed and followers elsewhere occupied a hotel.

Local Telemax TV news showed smashed ballot boxes in a garbage dump, with wads of ballots strewn about. Ballot after ballot was marked for Preval.

“We are convinced that either massive fraud or gross errors stain the (electoral) process” Preval said earlier in the day, adding that the official results “do not correspond with reality.”

White United Nations armoured vehicles shoved aside roadblocks of junked cars, old refrigerators and other debris blocking the streets of the capital Tuesday, and most were clear by mid-afternoon. Businesses remained shuttered, but street markets bustled with shoppers.

Preval, a former protege of ousted President Jean-Bertrand Aristide who enjoys wide support among the poor, called on followers to remove all roadblocks so people can get to work.

The most recent election results, posted Monday, showed Preval had 48.76 per cent of the vote with 90 per cent of ballots counted. He would need 50 per cent plus one vote from the Feb. 7 election to avoid a March run-off.

“If they publish the results as they are now, we will oppose them, the Haitian people will also oppose them, and there will be protests,” Preval told reporters.

The constitution indicates a challenge would go to the Supreme Court, but the interim government recently decreed that any complaints should go to the electoral commission — the same body issuing the results.

UN spokesman David Wimhurst said there was no evidence of fraud in the elections. The UN provided security for the vote and helped ship election returns to the capital but is not directly involved in counting ballots.

“If he believes there have been irregularities, he has the right to request an investigation,” Wimhurst told The Associated Press.

An official with the European Union, which has election observers here, declined comment on the vote count.

“The situation is volatile and difficult, and we do not want to make any declaration,” she said on condition of anonymity because she was not an official EU spokesperson. The Canadian observer group also refused to comment.

Election officials have not said when they will release final results. The UN said pro-Preval demonstrations were preventing election personnel from going to work and many counting centres had closed because of security concerns.

“I ask the Haitian people x .x .x . to be mature, to be responsible, to be nonviolent,” Preval said Tuesday.

The UN Security Council urged Haitians to respect election results and refrain from violence, and it extended the UN peacekeeping mission in Haiti for six months, until Aug. 15.

Some 7,300 UN troops and 1,750 international police are in the country under Brazilian command, helping national police maintain order. The UN mission replaced a U.S.-led force that arrived after a three-week uprising toppled Aristide in February 2004.

At least one protester was killed Monday in the Taberre neighbourhood. Witnesses said UN peacekeepers opened fire. Wimhurst first denied that peacekeepers fired any rounds, then later said they had fired in the air and that someone else fired shots afterward in the same area.

Preval, a former president, urged his supporters to “respect people’s belongings” and to be on guard against provocateurs.

He met the top UN official in Haiti and ambassadors from Canada, Brazil, France and the United States late Monday after coming to the capital on a UN helicopter from his rural home in the north.

A run-off would pit Preval against second-place finisher Leslie Manigat, also a former president, who received 11.8 per cent of the vote, according to preliminary results.

Manigat’s wife, Myrlande, declined to say whether anyone had approached her husband about withdrawing. “Our position is to wait until the (electoral council) releases the results,” she said.

Of the 2.2 million ballots cast, about 125,000 have been declared invalid because of irregularities, raising suspicion among Preval supporters that polling officials were rigging the election.

Four per cent of the ballots were blank but were still added to the total, making it harder for Preval to obtain the 50 per cent plus one vote needed.

Jacques Bernard, director general of the nine-member electoral council, has denied that the council voided many votes for Preval.

UN Security Council calls on Haitians to refrain from electoral violence

2006-02-14T18:29:00.000-05:00

14 February 2006 – Saying it recognized Haiti’s recent elections as a major step towards re-establishing representative governance, the United Nations Security Council today urged all parties to remain calm while the final results of the election are being certified.

“The members of the Council express their expectation that the counting of ballots and the remaining steps in the electoral process mandated by Haitian law will continue to be transparent and meet international standards. They strongly urge all parties to respect the results of the election and refrain from violence,” the Council president for February, Ambassador John Bolton of the United States, told journalists.

Haiti’s provisional electoral council, known by its French acronym CEP, said yesterday that it was waiting for the last 1,000 tally sheets to be entered into the system.

The 15-member Council called on Haitian political leaders to live up to the high expectations of their people at this critical juncture by demonstrating statesmanship and moderation and remaining engaged in the process of national reconciliation, Mr. Bolton said.

The members of the Council reiterated their full support for the efforts of the UN Stabilization Mission in Haiti (MINUSTAH) and the Transitional Government to ensure a secure and stable environment in Haiti, he added.

The peacekeeping MINUSTAH itself urged Haitians yesterday to remain calm and await final election results, as many of the supporters of leading presidential candidate René Préval demonstrated on the streets of Haiti’s capital, Port-au-Prince, for the third consecutive day, demanding a declaration that he was the winner.

MINUSTAH said demonstrators have erected roadblocks in several parts of the capital and the mission’s formed police units have been deployed to manage the demonstrations, which have disrupted the city’s functioning.

Meanwhile, the Council unanimously passed a resolution that extended MINUSTAH's mandate until 15 August, "with the intention to renew for further periods."

It also supported Secretary-General Kofi Annan's recommendations in his recent report on Haiti and asked him to report to the Council on "whether to restructure MINUSTAH's mandate after the new Government takes office, including recommendations for ways in which MINUSTAH can support reform and strengthening of key institutions."

Press statement on Haiti by Security Council president
Following is the text of today’s statement to the press by Security Council President John Bolton ( United States):

The members of the Security Council commend the Haitian people for their commitment to democracy, as evidenced by the high degree of voter turnout on 7 February 2006, and recognize this as a major step forward in Haiti’s efforts to re-establish representative governance. They encourage all parties to remain calm as the final results of the election are certified. The members of the Council express their expectation that the counting of ballots and the remaining steps in the electoral process mandated by Haitian law will continue to be transparent and meet international standards. They strongly urge all parties to respect the results of the election and refrain from violence.

The members of the Council call on Haitian political leaders to live up to the high expectations of their people at this critical juncture by demonstrating statesmanship and moderation, and remaining engaged in a process of national reconciliation. The members of the Council reiterate their full support for efforts by United Nations Stabilization Mission in Haiti (MINUSTAH) and the Transitional Government to ensure a secure and stable environment in Haiti.

Preval Says He Will Contest Haiti Vote

2006-02-14T18:08:00.000-05:00

PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti, Feb 14, 5:11 PM EST AP) -- Leading presidential candidate Rene Preval claimed Tuesday that "gross errors" and likely fraud marred the vote that saw him fall just short of a first-round victory, and he said he would contest the results.

He also urged supporters to protest peacefully, a day after at least one pro-Preval demonstrator was killed and followers elsewhere occupied a hotel.

White U.N. armored vehicles shoved aside roadblocks of junked cars, old refrigerators and other debris blocking the streets of the capital Tuesday, and most were clear by mid-afternoon. Businesses remained shuttered, but street markets bustled with shoppers.

Preval, a former protege of ousted President Jean-Bertrand Aristide who enjoys wide support among the poor, called on followers to remove all roadblocks so people can get to work.

"I ask the Haitian people ... to be mature, to be responsible, to be nonviolent," Preval told reporters while sitting on a couch on the lawn of his gated home in the Petionville suburb.

The most recent election results, which were posted on the electoral council's Web site Monday afternoon, showed Preval had 48.76 percent of the vote with 90 percent of ballots counted. He would need 50 percent plus one vote from the Feb. 7 election to win outright and avoid a March runoff.

"If they publish the results as they are now, we will oppose them, the Haitian people will also oppose them, and there will be protests," Preval said.

"We are convinced that either massive fraud or gross errors stain the (electoral) process" Preval said, adding that the official results "do not correspond with reality."

The constitution indicates a challenge would go to the Supreme Court, but the interim government recently decreed that any complaints should go to the electoral commission - the same body issuing the results.

U.N. spokesman David Wimhurst said no evidence of fraud was detected in the elections. "If he believes there have been irregularities, he has the right to request an investigation," Wimhurst told The Associated Press.

Officials haven't said when they will release final results. The U.N. said pro-Preval demonstrations were preventing election personnel from going to work and many counting centers had closed because of security concerns.

The U.N. Security Council urged Haitians to respect election results and refrain from violence, and it extended the U.N. peacekeeping mission in Haiti for six months, until Aug. 15.

Some 7,300 U.N. troops and 1,750 international police are in the country under Brazilian command, helping national police maintain order. The U.N. mission replaced a U.S.-led force that arrived after a three-week uprising toppled Aristide in February 2004.

A popularly elected government with a clear mandate from the voters is seen as crucial to avoiding a political and economic meltdown in the Western Hemisphere's poorest nation. Gangs have gone on kidnapping sprees and factories have closed for lack of security.

At least one protester was killed Monday in the Taberre neighborhood. Witnesses said U.N. peacekeepers opened fire from a jeep. Wimhurst first denied that peacekeepers fired any rounds, then later said they had fired in the air and that someone else fired shots afterward in the same area. Preval supporters also stormed into a luxury hotel in Petionville on Monday.

Preval, a former president, urged his supporters to "respect people's belongings" and to be on guard against provocateurs who try to foment violence.

He met the top U.N. official in Haiti and ambassadors from the United States, France, Canada and Brazil late Monday after coming to the capital on a U.N. helicopter from his rural home in the north.

A runoff election would pit Preval against second-place finisher Leslie Manigat, also a former president, who received 11.8 percent of the vote, according to preliminary results.

Manigat's wife, Myrlande, declined to say whether anyone had approached her husband about withdrawing. "We are not negotiating," she said in a telephone interview. "Our position is to wait until the (electoral council) releases the results."

Of the 2.2 million ballots cast, about 125,000 have been declared invalid because of irregularities, raising suspicion among Preval supporters that polling officials were rigging the election.

Four percent of the ballots were blank but were still added to the total, making it harder for Preval to obtain the 50 percent plus one vote needed.

Jacques Bernard, director-general of the nine-member electoral council, has denied that the council voided many votes for Preval.

Preval says he won Haitian election

2006-02-14T12:46:00.000-05:00

PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti, February 14, 2006; 12:26 PM (Reuters) - Former President Rene Preval said on Tuesday he won last week's election outright and urged Haitian elections officials to hold off publishing final election results because of possible fraud.

"We are sure of having won in the first round," Preval said in his first significant comments on the election results in the week since the vote

"If they publish these results as they are, we will contest them and if Lespwa (his political movement) contests them, the Haitian people will contest them," Preval said at a news conference a day after tens of thousands of his supporters paralyzed the capital with flaming barricades and street protests, demanding he be declared the victor.

Preval, a one-time ally of deposed leader Jean-Bertrand Aristide had 48.7 percent at last report. He won the first round easily but his supporters and some elections officials said the count was being manipulated to prevent him from taking the office without a run-off. He needed 50 percent plus one vote for an outright win.

Rene Preval alleges 'gigantic fraud' in Haiti elections

2006-02-14T12:41:00.000-05:00

PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti, February 14, 2006, 12:28 PM EST (AP)-- Leading presidential candidate Rene Preval said Tuesday that "gross errors and probably gigantic fraud" marred last week's elections, backing the protests of his supporters but urging them to be peaceful, a day after at least one person was killed in violent demonstrations.

Preval, who had just under 49 percent of the vote with most ballots counted, made the comments hours after a U.N. helicopter brought him to the capital from his rural home Monday as supporters accusing election officials of manipulating results stormed a luxury hotel in Port-au-Prince.

"We want the will of the Haiti people to be respected," Preval said at a news conference. He urged supporters to keep up their protests, but to "respect people's belongings" and to be on guard against those who try to foment violence.

"I ask the Haitian people ... to be mature, to be responsible, to be nonviolent," he said, speaking in a calm, measured voice.

Preval, a former protege of ousted President Jean-Bertrand Aristide, enjoys wide support among Haiti's poor majority. It was uncertain, however, whether he would get the 50 percent total needed to win outright and avoid a second round of voting and no new results have been posted for more than 20 hours.

"We have observed there have been gross errors and probably gigantic fraud," Preval told reporters.

He met late Monday with the top U.N. official in Haiti and ambassadors from the United States, France, Canada and Brazil. "We have questions about the electoral process," he said after that meeting. "We want to see how we can save the process."

A popularly elected government with a clear mandate from the voters is seen as crucial to avoiding a political and economic meltdown in the Western Hemisphere's poorest nation. In the two years since Aristide's ouster, gangs have gone on kidnapping sprees and factories have closed for lack of security.

Monday's violence in Port-au-Prince left at least one protester dead as barricades of blazing tires sent plumes of black smoke into the sky.

U.N armored personnel carriers, meanwhile, shoved aside junked cars, old refrigerators and other debris to clear the roadblocks erected by demonstrators who paralyzed the capital on Monday.

In the middle-class Tabarre neighborhood, Associated Press journalists saw a man lying in the street, blood soaking the picture of Preval on his T-shirt. Dozens of witnesses said Jordanian U.N. peacekeepers opened fire from a jeep, killing two people and wounding four.

U.N. spokesman David Wimhurst first denied that peacekeepers fired any rounds, then later said they had fired in the air and that someone else fired shots afterward in the same area.

Also Monday, thousands of screaming protesters poured into the Montana Hotel in the Petionville neighborhood overlooking Port-au-Prince, where election officials had been announcing results. Blue-helmeted U.N. peacekeepers armed with assault rifles looked on from the grounds and the roof. No violence was reported.

Protesters waving Preval campaign posters and tree branches jumped up and down in unison, chanting: "Now is the time! Now is the time!" Dozens somersaulted fully clothed into the pool -- a rare treat in a country where most people lack running water.

Protesters stretched out on chaise lounges and ran up and down the hotel stairs past rooms costing $200 and up a night.

Nobel Peace Prize laureate Desmond Tutu, who is visiting Haiti, came out of his suite to appeal for calm. One of his security agents said the South African archbishop had refused to be evacuated by the helicopter plucking guests from the roof.

Communist Cuba accused Washington Tuesday of helping manipulate the results in Haiti's presidential elections.

"What is happening in Haiti shouldn't be surprising," the Communist Party daily Granma said in a front-page editorial. "It isn't the first time that the United States has intervened on a whim over the destiny of this nation, nor is it the first time it has shameless manipulated another country's electoral results to its benefit."

The editorial also praised Preval, calling him a "a man of great prestige who painstaking served the people" and saying Washington doesn't like him because of his previous ties to Aristide, who was deposed in a rebellion two years ago.

With about 90 percent of the vote counted from the Feb. 7 vote, Preval, a former president and Aristide ally, was leading with 48.7 percent of the vote, Haiti's electoral council said on its Web site. His nearest opponent was Leslie Manigat, another former president, who had 11.8 percent.

Manigat's wife, Myrlande, declined to say whether anyone had approached her husband about withdrawing.

"We are not negotiating," she told The Associated Press Tuesday in a telephone interview. "Our position is to wait until the (electoral council) releases the results."

Of the 2.2 million ballots cast, about 125,000 ballots have been declared invalid because of irregularities, raising suspicion among Preval supporters that polling officials were rigging the election.

Another 4 percent of the ballots were blank but were still added into the total, making it harder for Preval to obtain the majority needed to win outright.

Jacques Bernard, director-general of the nine-member electoral council, denied accusations that the council voided many votes for Preval.

Council member Pierre Richard Duchemin said he was being denied access to the tabulation process.

"According to me, there's a certain level of manipulation," Duchemin said, adding that "there is an effort to stop people from asking questions."

Preval won, some rival Haiti candidates say

2006-02-14T11:44:00.000-05:00

PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti (Reuters) Tue Feb 14, 2006 11:18 AM ET - A growing chorus of rival candidates said on Tuesday Haitian voters had chosen ex-President Rene Preval in elections still undecided a week after the vote, while the government urged calm to allow the count to be completed.

The Haitian capital was more peaceful early Tuesday after pro-Preval demonstrators had paralyzed the city with flaming barricades and street marches on Monday demanding that he be allowed to take the presidency. Some roads were still blocked by rocks, tree branches and other debris but traffic was moving.

Haiti's interim government pleaded with Haitians to stay calm as elections officials counted the last 10 percent of ballots. The government was appointed after Aristide fled the impoverished Caribbean nation in the face of an armed rebellion and under intense international pressure to quit,

Preval, a one-time ally of deposed leader Jean-Bertrand Aristide had 48.7 percent at last report. He won the first round easily but his supporters and some elections officials said the count was being manipulated to prevent him from taking the office without a run-off. He needed 50 percent plus one vote for an outright win.

"The people elected Preval. I respect their will," Dany Toussaint, a presidential candidate who won about 7,000 of more than 2 million votes cast, said on local radio. "I recognize they did not vote for me."

Other presidential candidates also conceded Preval had won, including Chavannes Jeune, who is running fourth, former Port-au-Prince Mayor Evans Paul, who won just over 2 percent of the vote, and ex-Prime Minister Marc Bazin, who took under 1 percent.

"A runoff ... would not solve anything," Paul said. "Let us look for balance in parliament and forget about the second round. That will be proof of political intelligence."

Preval had just under the needed 50 percent with 90 percent of the vote counted. Another ex-president, Leslie Manigat, had 11.8 and industrialist Charles Baker, seen as the candidate of the wealthy elite, had 7.9 percent.

GOVERNMENT URGES PATIENCE

Tens of thousands of Preval supporters marched in the streets on Monday, burning tires and blocking roads to demand Preval be named president immediately.

The demonstrations were largely peaceful, but witnesses said Jordanian U.N. troops -- part of a peacekeeping force providing security in Haiti -- killed two people when they opened fire at protesters in Tabarre, just north of the capital.

The United Nations denied the accusation, saying the soldiers had fired warning shots in the air.

In a nationally televised address late on Monday, interim Prime Minister Gerard Latortue asked for patience and assured voters they would get an honest vote count.

"No vote will be stolen," Latortue said. "We ask everyone to go back home, to stay calm and the results will be published."

Security was strengthened at the luxury Montana hotel in the hills overlooking Port-au-Prince, where elections officials had been releasing partial vote counts and holding news conferences.

Preval supporters had burst through the hotel's steel gates and invaded the upscale resort on Monday, demanding a final vote count and chanting "Preval is president!" On Tuesday, a white U.N. armored personnel carrier was stationed at the bottom of the winding road leading to the hotel and military police guarded the entry.

Haiti's short democratic history has been plagued by violence. Aristide, a former priest who is a champion of Haiti's poor, was sent into exile in each of his two terms in office.

Haiti vote count stalls, No results posted in 20 hours

2006-02-14T11:03:00.000-05:00

PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti (AP) -- Roadblocks remained up in the capital Tuesday as the nation tensely awaited final results of presidential elections, more than 20 hours after the last results were posted from the balloting.

Front-running candidate Rene Preval flew to Haiti's chaotic capital from his rural home Monday as thousands of his supporters blockaded roads and stormed a luxury hotel, accusing electoral officials of manipulating vote counts to deprive him of a first-round victory.

Preval had just under 49 percent support -- just under the majority needed to give him victory outright and avoid a second round of voting -- with 90 percent of the votes counted. Leslie Manigat, another former president, was second 11.8 percent.

Manigat's wife, Myrlande Manigat, said he was not negotiating and was awaiting final results.

"Our position is to wait until the (electoral council) releases the results," she said.

She wouldn't say if anyone had approached Manigat about withdrawing.

Violence in Port-au-Prince left at least one protester dead Monday as barricades of blazing tires sent plumes of black smoke into the sky.

The February 7 elections were the first since former President Jean-Bertrand Aristide was ousted in a rebellion two years ago. Preval, who enjoys wide support among Haiti's poor majority, arrived in the capital late Monday aboard a U.N. helicopter from his rural home in the country's north.

"We have questions about the electoral process," he told reporters after meeting with the top U.N. official in Haiti and ambassadors from the United States, France, Canada and Brazil. "We want to see how we can save the process."

Protesters accused election officials of tampering with the vote count to deny Preval the outright win.

With about 90 percent of the vote counted, Preval was leading with 48.7 percent of the vote, Haiti's electoral council said on its Web site. Of the 2.2 million ballots cast, about 125,000 ballots have been declared invalid because of irregularities, raising suspicion among Preval supporters that polling officials were rigging the election.

Another 4 percent of the ballots were blank but were still added into the total, making it harder for Preval to obtain the 50 percent plus one vote needed.

Jacques Bernard, director-general of the nine-member electoral council, denied accusations that the council voided many votes for Preval.

Valdes said he didn't believe there was fraud.

"I'm fully confident the process was correct. Of course, there might be mistakes, and these mistakes have to be examined," he said.

Violence Flares as Top Candidate Slips in Haiti Count

2006-02-14T11:01:00.000-05:00

PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti, Feb. 13, NYT — Tens of thousands of people paralyzed traffic with flaming barricades here on Monday, charging fraud in the tabulation of votes from the election for president last week, and demanding that René Préval be declared Haiti's next president, even though results suggested that he had not won the required majority of votes in the first round.

Electoral authorities reported Monday afternoon that votes tabulated from more than 90 percent of the country's 9,000 polling places showed that while Mr. Préval had a strong lead over his nearest rivals, he had slipped farther from a first-round victory, with 48.7 percent of the votes.

His campaign advisers raised questions about an estimated 8 percent of the tabulation sheets that electoral authorities reported as missing or destroyed, but it was unclear whether Mr. Préval would challenge the results.

Leslie Manigat, 75, who had served four months as president in 1988 and was ousted by a military coup, was running second, with 11.8 percent.

Carolyn Cooley, a spokeswoman for the United States Embassy, said in an interview that foreign diplomats, including the American ambassador, Tim Carney, had started talks with Mr. Préval. Some said the talks were aimed at seeking a settlement that would keep this poor, broken country from descending back into anarchy.

A high-ranking official in Haiti for the Organization of American States and a Haitian political analyst close to the talks said that other foreign diplomats and leaders of the interim government had met with Mr. Manigat about the possibility of withdrawing from a second round of voting. The political analyst, who like some others spoke on the condition of anonymity to avoid interfering with the negotiations, said, "Haiti cannot afford another round of elections, not only because of the monetary costs, but because of the cost in blood."

Mr. Préval had been awaiting final results in his hometown of Marmelade. But as the protest grew hostile on Monday, he was flown in a United Nations helicopter to the capital, where he met with Juan Gabriel Valdés, chief of the United Nations Stabilization Mission, which has struggled to help restore order to Haiti since an uprising forced President Jean-Bertrand Aristide out of power and into exile two years ago.

Then he was taken by United Nations helicopter to the National Palace, where he waved triumphantly to screaming throngs. Advisers to Mr. Préval, a protégé of Mr. Aristide's, said they expected him to make statements on Haitian radio stations urging the volatile crowds roaming the streets to remain calm.

In interviews, at least two of Mr. Préval's advisers echoed the the protesters' concerns about the credibility of the results. They said Mr. Préval probably would not agree to ask his supporters to end their marches without some agreement from Mr. Manigat to support a recount or to withdraw from a second round.

"If his opponents turn over their votes to Préval so that he can win, then that will only weaken his legitimacy as president," said Fritz Jean, a former president of the Central Bank. "There must be a recount to prove that he is the clear winner."

The political analyst close to the negotiations said Mr. Manigat had also been expected at the National Palace on Monday. But he could not confirm whether Mr. Manigat had been there.

In a telephone interview Monday morning, Mr. Manigat, a historian beloved by some as a wise old grandfather of Haitian politics and dismissed by others as out of touch, said that this country's fragile democracy would be undermined if he allowed threats of violence to force him out of the race. "We cannot let violence guide the process," he said. "We must respect the Constitution. We must go to the second round. It's crystal clear."

The peace that had prevailed in this troubled country began to unravel Sunday, when the Provisional Electoral Council failed to release final vote counts, and incomplete results suggested that Mr. Préval would not win more than 50 percent. The results contradicted unofficial vote samples taken by the Organization of American States and the National Democratic Institute.

People on the street began asking questions about the estimated 147,000 ballots that had been voided by electoral authorities as illegible and about the estimated 85,000 blank ballots in the net total of valid votes. If those votes had not been included in the total, election observers estimate, Mr. Préval would have slightly more than 51 percent of the vote.

Even more troubling questions have been raised about the missing tabulation sheets.

A United Nations official said the election body's executive director, Jacques Bernard, was considering issuing a call to poll workers demanding the sheets or asking leading political parties, which also received copies, to share them with elections officials.

"This is a problem that I believe can be worked out with good will and cooperation, not with haggling and street protests," José Miguel Insulza, secretary general of the Organization of American States, said in a telephone interview from Washington.

The United Nations official who discussed the missing ballots said that with the threat of mounting protests, time might have run out. "I think we may need to reach a political solution to a technical problem," the official said.

Haitian Election Protests Grow in Size and Hostility

2006-02-13T16:39:00.000-05:00

PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti, Feb. 13 — Flaming barricades paralyzed traffic today, and tens of thousands of people marched in all directions across the Haitian capital charging fraud in the tabulations of votes from last week's elections and demanding that René Préval be declared the country's next president.

The demonstrations continued to grow in size and hostility this afternoon, and at least one person was killed.

A high-ranking official at the Organization of American States, which helped organize the elections, said , foreign diplomats and leaders of Haiti's interim government had started negotiations with Mr. Préval's leading rivals, asking them to withdraw from a second-round of voting and stop this poor, broken country from descending back into anarchy.

"A little calm, a little patience. The will of the people will be respected," interim Prime Minister, Géerard Latortue said in a televised speech. "The victory will not be stolen."

The prime minister said that the official results would be announced as soon as possible, and that if a candidate has 50 percent, "he will be immediately declared president."

Mr. Préval, who had been awaiting final results in his father's hometown of Marmelade, was flown by a United Nations helicopter back to the capital this afternoon. Advisers to Mr. Préval said they expected him to make statements on Haitian radio stations urging the volatile crowds roaming the streets to remain calm.

At the same time, however, advisers to Mr. Préval echoed concerns by the demonstrators that election results had been manipulated and that their candidate was being cheated out of victory.

Electoral authorities reported today that votes tabulated from more than 90 percent of the country's 9,000 polling places showed the 63-year-old Mr. Préval with 48.7 percent of the votes, a commanding lead over his nearest rivals, but less than the 50 percent plus one-vote he needed to avoid a second round of voting.

Leslie François Manigat, 75, who had served four months as president in 1988 until he was ousted by a military coup, was running second with 11.8 percent of the vote.

The results have sent crowds of menacing people out of the slums that have become strongholds to Mr. Préval marching up the mountainsides into the well-to-do areas of Pétion-Ville, and on the Hotel Montana, where results are released to the news media and international observers each night. Along the way, the crowds tore down and battered campaign posters for Mr. Préval's rivals and smashed windshields of cars that tried to get past flaming barricades.

A Haitian television station broadcast images of a man shot to death in the Tabarre section of Port-au-Prince. People interviewed at the scene said the man had been shot in a clash with United Nations peacekeepers. But a United Nations spokesman denied that the peacekeepers opened fire on demonstrators, The Associated Press reported.

"They told us to come to vote in peace and we did," said Pouchon Pierre, 23. "And now they want to steal the election from us. But we will not let them.

"No Préval," he warned, "no Haiti."

1 dead in Haiti as vote count protests mount; luxury hotel stormed

2006-02-13T16:14:00.000-05:00

PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti -- Tens of thousands of angry protesters erected flaming barricades, stormed a luxury hotel and marched through the streets Monday, protesting presidential election returns showing that frontrunner Rene Preval may face a runoff election.

At least one supporter of Preval was killed, the Associated Press reported. News service journalists saw the body of a man, wearing a blood-soaked T-shirt bearing an image of Preval, in the street in the Tabarre neighborhood.

Witnesses told the news service that U.N. peacekeepers opened fire on the crowd, but a U.N. spokesman denied that. Witnesses said Jordanian U.N. peacekeepers opened fire, killing two and wounding four.

David Wimhurst, a U.N. spokesman in Haiti, denied in a phone interview with the AP that peacekeepers opened fire.

"There's apparently two people killed in Tabarre, but it wasn't U.N. troops who killed them. We fired two warning shots in the air and then there was gunfire from unidentified parties -- it wasn't us. We haven't shot anyone.

"The protesters appear to be leaving the Montana now, so that may be settled. We have demonstrations going on around the city, some generalized vandalism, cars damaged, that sort of thing, but that's it. These are largely peaceful demonstrations.

"What we're all hoping for is that the elections council will soon post the final results, so we can move on from this. But we don't know when that's going to happen."

Elsewhere around the capital, demonstrations seemed peaceful even as protesters shut down businesses and tied up traffic throughout the city. By noon, Port-au-Prince was paralyzed, and there was no word from election supervisors about the latest vote counts.

Thousands of protesters stormed the Hotel Montana, where the country's election council had its press center, breaking through a gate and spilling into the luxury resort's garden, lobby and hallways. South African Archbishop Desmond Tutu, in Haiti for a previously scheduled visit, attempted to disperse the crowd from a balcony at the hotel, but many among the protesters had no idea who he was.

"If you shoot at us, we're going to burn all this down,'' the crowd chanted as U.N. gunships hovered overhead. Many believed that members of the country's election council were staying at the hotel and demanded to speak to the council's director general, Jacques Bernard.

Council members were nowhere to be found, though several appealed on local radio stations for calm.

One of them was Vincent de Herdt, an IFES elections monitor, who told listeners: "All I can say right now is that we have absolutely seen no evidence of fraud anywhere in the country. That's really all i can say. We're paralyzed right now, none of our people can move around the city, so we cannot witness anything.

"I don't really know what these allegations are being based on. We've seen no evidence of fraud. None at all," de Herdt said.

Results posted Sunday showed Preval leading with 49.1 percent of the vote, with some 75 percent of the ballots counted. He was followed by former president Leslie Manigat with 11.7 percent. Preval needed a 50 percent plus one vote to avoid a runoff scheduled for March 19.

"They're trying to steal our vote, and they're not going to do it,'' said Marie Esther Bareau, 24, who said she ran one of the polling centers. She said Preval won 380 out of 400 votes at her site, and that she was sure he had the majority needed to be named president.

"This whole election was a sham, and none of us who worked in the election were even paid,'' added Bareau. "I want our president, and I want my money."

In front of her, dozens of waiters, cooks and other hotel staff stood in a line alongside U.N. peacekeepers, trying to keep the throng from entering the hotel lobby and advancing onto its upper floors.

At many intersections throughout the city, huge mounds of garbage were used to barricade streets, guarded by hundreds of Preval supporters who would only let other sympathizers pass through.

On John Brown Boulevard, the narrow mountain road that leads to the middle-class enclave of Petionville, dozens of U.N. troops faced off against thousands of protesters.

But the U.N. commander eased the situation by walking alone under a hail of rocks toward the angry street youths. He then hugged them, one by one, saying, "You're black, I'm black -- let's not do this."

The youths then let motorists pass through.

Elsewhere, angry young men were pointing at light-skinned Haitians yelling, "Baker, Baker," a reference to Charles Henri Baker, a wealthy white industrialist who placed third in presidential polling after leading the civic movement that helped depose Aristide two years ago.

"We've had it, quite frankly, and if we don't have any results soon, this whole country is coming down,'' said Jean Dorsanvil, 40, a mechanic, as he piled boulders onto a barricade in Petionville.

U.N., Witnesses Differ Over Haiti Gunfire

2006-02-13T16:06:00.000-05:00

PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti (AP) - Gunfire erupted Monday during protests over election results in Haiti and at least one supporter of leading presidential candidate Rene Preval was killed. Witnesses said U.N. peacekeepers opened fire on the crowd, but a U.N. spokesman denied that.

Hundreds of screaming demonstrators elsewhere stormed past U.N. peacekeepers into an upscale hotel in the hills above Port-au-Prince and helicopters landed on the roof to evacuate guests, but no violence was reported.

The protests erupted amid increasing anger at vote counts from Tuesday's elections showing that Preval, a former president and one-time protege of ousted President Jean-Bertrand Aristide, may have fallen short of the 50 percent needed to win outright and avoid a runoff.

Across Port-au-Prince, barricades made of old tires were set ablaze, sending plumes of acrid black smoke into the sky. Protesters let only journalists and Red Cross vehicles pass.

``If they don't give us the final results, we're going to burn this country down,'' a man screamed at one of the roadblocks.

Dozens of witnesses said Jordanian U.N. peacekeepers opened fire on them, killing two and wounding four.

David Wimhurst, spokesman for the U.N. mission known here by its French acronym MINUSTAH, denied in a telephone interview that peacekeepers opened fire.

``We fired two warning shots into the air and we didn't injure anyone. Some time later, shots were fired by unknown persons in the same area,'' he said. As for the witnesses' account that peacekeepers shot protesters, he said: ``It's absolutely false.''

Associated Press journalists saw the body of a man in the street in the Tabarre neighborhood. He was wearing a blood-soaked T-shirt bearing an image of Preval.

``We were peacefully protesting when the U.N. started shooting. There were a lot of shots. Everybody ran,'' said Walrick Michel, 22.

Shortly after the shootings, people scattered in fear as a peacekeepers' convoy passed by, ducking behind stone mausoleums in a nearby graveyard. They then loaded the body of the shooting victim - identified by the crowd as 19-year-old Junior Cherry - into a pickup truck.

``MINUSTAH killed my brother. MINUSTAH, killed my brother,'' a woman wailed.

Meanwhile, in the Petionville neighborhood above Port-au-Prince, protesters converged on the upscale Montana Hotel where election officials have announced results of Tuesday's elections.

U.N. peacekeepers kept close watch from a driveway and rooftops as protesters squeezed into the hotel's lobby and down the steep sloping driveway, waving posters and tree branches and chanting: ``Now is the time! Now is the time!''

South African Nobel Peace Prize laureate Desmond Tutu, who had appealed for calm at church services Sunday, was seen on a balcony surveying the crowd as helicopters landed on the roof to evacuate people.

Blue-helmeted U.N. peacekeepers controlled access to a separate part of the hotel that was being used as an election center. The doors to the election center were chained and there was no one inside.

Protesters have alleged the electoral commission is manipulating the vote count to prevent Preval from winning a first-round victory in this battered and poor Caribbean nation.

With some 90 percent of the vote counted, Preval was leading with 48.7 percent of the vote, Haiti's electoral council said on its Web site. His nearest opponent was Leslie Manigat, another former president, who had 11.8 percent.

But of the 2.2 million ballots cast, about 125,000 ballots have been declared invalid because of irregularities, raising suspicion among Preval supporters that polling officials are trying to steal the election.

Another 4 percent of the ballots were blank but were still added into the total, making it harder for Preval to obtain the 50 percent plus one vote needed.

Throngs of Preval supporters poured into the streets, chanting angry allegations of fraud, after two members of Haiti's electoral council questioned the counting procedures.

Electoral council member Pierre Richard Duchemin said he was being denied access to information about the tabulation process and called for an investigation.

``According to me, there's a certain level of manipulation,'' Duchemin told The Associated Press, adding ``there is an effort to stop people from asking questions.''

Earlier Monday, Preval supporters blew horns and pounded drums outside the electoral center, denouncing Jacques Bernard, director-general of the nine-member electoral council, as a ``thief.''

``He doesn't know how to count,'' they chanted as police held them off with rifles and shotguns.

Bernard has denied accusations that the council voided many votes for Preval.

Patrick Fequiere, who is also on the nine-member electoral council, said on local radio that Bernard was releasing results without notifying other council members, who did not know where Bernard was obtaining his information.

The elections will replace an interim government installed after Aristide was ousted in a bloody rebellion two years ago.

A popularly elected government with a clear mandate from the voters was seen as crucial to avoiding a political and economic meltdown in the western hemisphere's poorest nation where, gangs have gone on kidnapping sprees and many factories have closed for lack of security.

Jean-Henoc Faroul, president of an electoral district with 400,000 voters northeast of the capital, accused the electoral commission of trying to force a runoff, saying ballot tally sheets from Preval strongholds have vanished.

``The electoral council is trying to do what it can to diminish the percentage of Preval so it goes to a second round,'' said Faroul, who openly supports Preval's candidacy.

Wimhurst confirmed that tally sheets with vote results have been found dumped in the garbage, but said the sheets might have been mishandled by election workers and it was not necessarily evidence of fraud.

He said 136 tally sheets containing the results of possibly thousands of votes had still not been processed, and others were still being delivered from outlying districts.

Doors were removed from the tabulation center to prevent electoral council lawyers huddling in private, Wimhurst said.

Tension Increases in Haiti as Front-Runner's Lead Drops

2006-02-12T23:27:00.000-05:00

PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti, Feb. 12 — The calm that followed national elections in Haiti was replaced by tension on Sunday, and confidence in the process started to weaken, as leaders of this country's fractious political parties expressed frustration with the delay in releasing final results.

At the same time, community leaders in the country's slums, seeing the share of votes won Tuesday by their candidate for president starting to slip, accused electoral authorities of fraud.

With more than 75 percent of the vote counted by Sunday afternoon, the lead held by René Préval, considered the favorite of impoverished masses, dropped to 49.1 percent. A finish of less than 50 percent would force him into a runoff next month.

Mr. Préval's shrinking vote tally has stunned his supporters, who staged scattered protests across this city on Sunday, as well as international observers, whose independent samplings of the votes had shown Mr. Préval winning well above 50 percent of the vote.

An adviser to Mr. Préval said in an interview that the candidate would probably challenge the vote count if the final tally did not give him more than 50 percent of the vote. Meanwhile, people in the volatile communities that have become strongholds for Mr. Préval vowed to take to the streets.

Hundreds of people, many wearing Préval campaign T-shirts, marched from the seaside slum of Cité Soleil, here in the capital, to the offices of the Provisional Electoral Council and up to the Hotel Montana, where electoral officials were scheduled to release more results on Sunday night.

The crowd's mood teetered from determined to defiant. Then, after the news conference was abruptly canceled — as a result of problems at the central tabulation center, according to an elections official, Pierre Richard Duchemin — the crowds became outraged.

Some chanted, "Our hearts beat for Préval!"

One protester, Pierre Louis Charles, chanted, "The revolution is starting!"

He added, "We did not vote 49 percent."

Another protester, Jean Gilda Baptiste, 27, shouted: "There will be no second round. We will paralyze this country."

Kesner F. Pharel, an economist and host of a popular radio program, said in an interview on Sunday that if Mr. Préval were forced into a runoff election, it would be the first time in the history of a country whose leaders typically rise to power by force or with an overwhelming majority of votes.

"In Haiti, we don't have the capacity to understand second-round elections because we have never had them before," Mr. Pharel said. "All that people in the Préval camp understand is that they went out in large numbers to vote for him. And if he does not win, they are going to feel cheated."

Six years ago, accusations of electoral fraud ruined the credibility of the last national elections, which brought President Jean-Bertrand Aristide back to power with more than 91 percent of the votes. Later, in 2004, he stepped down after widespread discontent, an armed uprising and pressure by the United States.

But Mr. Aristide's departure did not end the hostilities in this country with almost no functioning institutions, where the average adult earns less than $250 a year and does not live to 60. The situation only deteriorated further.

New elections were postponed several times because of political fighting, logistical delays and a wave of terrifying kidnappings and killings.

The polls opened in a situation of substantial disorder for the election last Tuesday, but ended without a single incident of political violence. For most of the week, a fragile peace prevailed. But on Sunday, as word spread that Mr. Préval's lead had slipped, tensions began to grow.

The results posted on the Provisional Electoral Council's Web site at 7 p.m. showed Leslie Manigat, who served four months as president in 1988 before being overthrown by a military coup, running a distant second to Mr. Préval, with 11.7 percent of the tabulated votes. Charles Baker, a factory owner who is considered the candidate for the wealthy minority, but who has also won substantial support from the country's largest farmer's union, was third, with 8.2 percent.

The Nobel laureate Desmond M. Tutu, the retired Anglican archbishop of Cape Town, South Africa, urged Haitians to remain patient during a ceremony Sunday morning at Trinity Cathedral here. He urged the winners of the elections to take a lesson from his homeland and to commit to national reconciliation by inviting all sectors of Haitian society to participate in the next government.

"The people of Haiti say no to violence, and yes to peace," Archbishop Tutu said. "The people of Haiti say no to revenge, and yes to forgiveness."

That was not the spirit of the angry crowds protesting in various parts of the capital on Sunday night.

"No Préval, no Haiti!" the crowds chanted.

One man, who did not give his name, growled above the roar: "We voted peacefully. But if we do not have Préval, the country will explode."

Official election results have been beset by delays

2006-02-12T21:46:00.000-05:00

Port-au-Prince, February 12, 2006. Official election results have been beset by delays. Of some 800 voting centers in the country, nine were destroyed by political parties fighting for control of the counting.

"In Bombardopolis, four candidates personally went to the voting center and trashed the polling stations," said David Wimhurst, a spokesman for the U.N. Mission here. "Don't ask me why they did it, but they did it."

An estimated 2 percent of the results from the polling stations never arrived to the tabulation center. Wimhurst say some of the bags have been found and are on the there way.

"There is a certain laxity in the system," he said.

The tally sheets from another 504 stations had various problems that required U.N. advisers to try to work out before they could be tabulated. The most common issue is that poll workers recorded the wrong station numbers atop the form.

Tensions intensify over slow vote count in Haiti's election

2006-02-12T21:40:00.000-05:00

PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti - Thousands of supporters of presidential candidate Rene Preval poured into the Haitian capital's streets Sunday to demand that electoral officials announce the results of elections held five days ago and end the increasingly suspicious delays in ballot counting.

But by 6:30 p.m. the electoral council had not updated the vote results since just after 9 a.m., arousing concerns that the council does not want to announce that Preval won an outright majority, which would avert a run-off against the second-place finisher.

In this deeply divided country, racked by years of violence and political turmoil, the delays in tabulating the votes from the presidential and legislative elections on Tuesday has been creating increasingly dangerous tensions.

At 9 a.m., Preval held 49.1 percent of the 75.8 percent of voting centers counted, and was trailed far behind by former President Leslie Manigat with 11.7 percent. Most of the ballots left to be tallied, however, come from the Port-au-Prince area, where Preval has been getting more than 60 percent of the votes counted.

Tuesday's balloting saw unexpectedly high turnout, as voters rose before dawn and flocked to the polls in the first election since President Jean-Bertrand Aristide fled the country during a political opposition movement and armed rebellion in 2004.

Foreign electoral advisers say a survey of 1,340 polling stations across the country - conducted by Haitian observers and funded by the Washington-based National Democratic Institute - shows Preval would get over 52 percent when all the votes are counted.

But the official results have been beset by delays.

Of some 800 voting centers in the country, nine were destroyed by political parties fighting for control of the counting.

"In Bombardopolis, four candidates personally went to the voting center and trashed the polling stations," said David Wimhurst, a spokesman for the U.N. Mission here. "Don't ask me why they did it, but they did it."

An estimated 2 percent of the results from the polling stations never arrived to the tabulation center. Wimhurst say some of the bags have been found and are on the there way.

"There is a certain laxity in the system," he said.

The tally sheets from another 504 stations had various problems that required U.N. advisers to try to work out before they could be tabulated. The most common issue is that poll workers recorded the wrong station numbers atop the form.

But because the nine-member electoral council is comprised of Preval's rivals, many of his supporters suspect the group is trying to manipulate results to force a run-off in which his opponents can gang up on him.

"When we vote we are not kidding!" a crowd of several hundred chanted in front of the Hotel Montana, an upscale hotel where the electoral council has been announcing the results.

"Give him to us! Give him to us!" one visibly enraged woman screamed.

Preval, who was president from 1996 to 2001, went into politics on the same wave of populism that ended the Duvalier family dictatorship and brought Aristide to power in 1991. While Preval is clearly more moderate than Aristide, a fiery former priest, part of Haiti's business elite is loath to see him back in the presidential palace.

"For the good of the country I cannot let this guy get into power," said Charles Henry Baker, an apparel manufacturer and opposition candidate who ran a distant third with about 9 percent of the vote. "He's an incompetent fool, and he is the worse thing that could happen to Haiti if he gets into power."

Such zeal is why many Port-au-Prince's dispossessed believe the business and political elite are working to steal the election from Preval.

"The business sector doesn't want him," said Milka Jeanty, shining shoes downtown. "They're the ones doing all this scheming. We know he won."

The mood of the demonstrators Sunday was mostly festive, as they seemed confident Preval would win. They danced and sang and played the homemade trumpets they will use later this month in Carnival. Later several hundred used a side-road to bypass a phalanx of police and U.N. peacekeepers to demonstrate at the front gate of the Hotel Montana.

The group's songs kept the same merry tune, but the lyrics kept changing.

"Bring us Jacques Bernard! Bring us Jacques Bernard!" they sang to soldiers holding them back. Bernard is the director general of the electoral council, and the man who had been announcing the results.

In Miami, about 1,800 Haitians gathered along Northeast 54th Street at North Miami Avenue, the heart of Little Haiti, to celebrate Preval's victory and embrace his ally, Father Gerard Jean-Juste, only recently released from a Port-au-Prince prison. Jean-Juste, speaking from a stage set up for the occasion, told the crowd Preval had garnered more than 53 percent of the vote, which "the mathematicians will say equals 54 percent."

"The people are happy because we have a new president," said participant Eric Ceron.

But this is not certain.

By most accounts, the council has stumbled in a perilous way - giving few news conferences and coming across as resistant to give the results. In the morning Sunday, Bernard told diplomats the tabulation would be done by early evening.

"They have to finish tonight so they will finish tonight," said Juan Gabriel Valdes, the head of the 9,500-member U.N. Peacekeeping mission here, which is all but running the technical aspects of the election.

But by 6 p.m., Bernard once again told them they would not finish that night. He did not hold a news conference, but said updated results might be posted later at night.

Crowds demand Preval be named Haiti president

2006-02-12T20:58:00.000-05:00

PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti - Shouting "Preval is president," thousands of protesters marched in the Haitian capital on Sunday demanding election results five days after the troubled Caribbean nation‘s first vote since Jean-Bertrand Aristide was ousted two years ago.

The large demonstrations came as concerns grew that the election results, which showed former president Preval romping ahead of his rivals in the first round but just short of a majority needed to avoid a runoff, were being manipulated.

Preval, a former Aristide ally opposed by the wealthy elite in the poor Caribbean nation, complained there was a "problem" with the counting, and two members of a nine-member council that oversees elections decried "manipulation" of the count.

The electoral council had said final results would be made public on Sunday but they had not been released by early evening, as thousands rallied outside the hilltop hotel where the tally was to be announced.

Preval supporters filled a 10-block stretch of one of the teeming capital‘s main streets from sidewalk to sidewalk, singing and waving tree branches and chanting, "We voted already, Preval is president, We‘re not going to vote again!"

"I am begging the government, the election council, to make peace," Joanne Malebranche, 27, shouted as she knelt in the street and flung her arms in the air. "Let‘s make peace. Give us Preval."

Preval, who was president from 1996 to 2001 between Aristide‘s two terms, had 49.1 percent of the votes, according to the latest incomplete results on the Provisional Electoral Council‘s (CEP) Web site.

He needs more than 50 percent to avoid a March 19 run-off against the second-place candidate, currently ex-president Leslie Manigat, who had 11.7 percent.

The controversy over the results centered on a discrepancy between a graphic on the council‘s Web site and the results issued by the council‘s director-general, Jacques Bernard.

Bernard said that Preval had about 49 percent but the graphic generated by computer had him at 52 percent. The graphic was later changed to match the 49 percent figure.

"I went to school and the CEP has given two figures, 52 percent and 49 percent. Now there is a problem," Preval told reporters while sitting on a bench in the village square in his mountain hometown of Marmelade. "Forty-nine percent, I don‘t pass. Fifty percent, I pass."

Aristide was ousted by an armed revolt in February 2004 and Washington has urged Preval, if elected, not to allow the former Roman Catholic priest to return from exile.

Observers have said a second-round of voting could change the dynamic of the election because some of the candidates who oppose Preval, seen as the champion of Haiti‘s poor masses, have agreed to rally behind the second-place candidate.

Pierre Richard Duchemin and Patrick Fequiere, two of the nine members of the elections council, said the vote tabulation was being manipulated and blamed Bernard.

"The percent which is given by the graphic is done by the computer according to figures entered by a data operator and the computer can‘t lie," said Duchemin, who was in charge of the voting tabulation center. He said he had been excluded from viewing data.

Bernard denied the result was being manipulated. He said someone forgot to update the graphic.

"They accuse me of manipulation," he said. "They say I received several million dollars to manipulate the election. None of it is true."

Adding to the controversy was the issue of 72,000 blank ballots, on which no vote was cast. They were being added to totals used to calculate each candidate‘s percentage and that helped drop Preval under 50 percent.

South African Archbishop Desmond Tutu, the 1984 Nobel Peace Laureate, said Sunday Mass at St. Trinity Cathedral in downtown Port-au-Prince and praised Haitians for a peaceful election.

Charges of vote-count manipulation hit Haiti poll

2006-02-12T18:35:00.000-05:00

PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti (Reuters) - Haitians awaited the final results of their first election since Jean-Bertrand Aristide was driven from power amid growing concern that the vote tabulation, which has taken more than four days, was being manipulated.

Former president Rene Preval, who leads the first round of voting by a wide margin, complained that there was a "problem" with the counting of votes, and two members of the nine-member council that oversees elections said there was "manipulation" at the tabulation center in the capital.

Preval, an Aristide protege who worries the wealthy elite who helped oust Aristide in February 2004, held 49.1 percent of the votes counted so far, according to results posted on Sunday morning on the Provisional Electoral Council's (CEP) Web site.

Preval needs 50 percent to avoid a March 19 run-off against the second-place candidate, currently ex-president Leslie Manigat at 11.7 percent.

The Haitian capital, plagued by violence and kidnappings in the months before the election, remained relatively quiet on Sunday, five days after an election that was carried out in relative peace, though some polling centers were chaotic.

South African Archbishop Desmond Tutu, the 1984 Nobel Peace Laureate, said Sunday Mass with hundreds of Haitians at St. Trinity Cathedral in downtown Port-au-Prince and praised Haitians for a peaceful election.

"You have shown the world that the Haitian people are not violent. You have shown the world that the Haitian people can be, are, tolerant," he said. "You have shown the world that Haitian people say 'No' to violence and intolerance, 'Yes' to peace."

The controversy that erupted Sunday over the election results centered on the electoral council's Web site and those issued by the council's director-general.

Jacques Bernard, the director general, said on Sunday that Preval had just under 49 percent. Figures on the Web site late Sunday had Preval at 49.1. But a graphic on the Web site generated by computer had Preval at 52 percent, above the majority needed to avoid a runoff.

"I went to school and the CEP has given two figures, 52 percent and 49 percent. Now there is a problem," said Preval, talking to reporters while sitting on a bench in the village square in his mountain hometown of Marmelade. "Forty-nine percent I don't pass. Fifty percent I pass."

Observers have said a second-round of voting could change the dynamic of the election because some of the candidates who oppose Preval, seen as the champion of Haiti's poor masses, have agreed to rally behind the second-place candidate.

Pierre Richard Duchemin and Patrick Fequiere, two of the nine members of the elections council, said the vote tabulation was being manipulated and blamed Bernard.

"The percent which is given by the graphic is done by the computer according to figures entered by a data operator and the computer can't lie," said Duchemin, who was in charge of the voting tabulation center. He said he had been excluded from viewing data.

"There is an unwholesome manipulation of the data. Nothing is transparent," he said.

Bernard was not immediately available for reply to the charge.

Adding to the controversy was the issue of 72,000 blank ballots, on which no vote was cast. Even though they contained no vote, they were being added to vote totals used to calculate each candidate's percentage. The net effect was to lower each candidate's percentage, dropping Preval 50 percent.

A spokesman for the election council said blank votes had not been counted in past elections.

South Africa's Tutu preaches peace, reconciliation in volatile Haiti

2006-02-12T11:47:00.000-05:00

Port-au-Prince, February 12, 2006. Former South African Anglican archbishop and Nobel peace laureate Desmond Tutu Sunday preached his message of reconciliation in volatile Haiti, where voters awaited the outcome of presidential elections.

"The people of Haiti say yes to peace ... no to revenge," he said in a sermon at the Sainte Trinite episcopal cathedral in downtown Port-au-Prince.

"Long live peace," Tutu told the worshippers, who included government officials, foreign diplomats and international electoral observers.

"You have shown the world you are not a violent people," he said with reference to Tuesday's presidential and legislative voting, which was largely free of electoral or political violence.

Tutu's four-day visit coincided with the nervous wait for the outcome of the February 7 presidential election many hope will set Haiti on a democratic track and end the turmoil that has plagued the impoverished Caribbean nation.

With three-fourths of the ballots counted, Rene Preval, 63, a champion of the poor, had a massive lead over his rivals, but was just under one point short of the 50 percent he needs to win outright and avoid a second round.

Officials appealed for calm amid worries that Preval's hardcore supporters in the capital's dirt-poor slum may be incensed if the front runner is not declared triumphant in the first round.

Sunday's ecumenical service marked the inauguration of Haiti's "National Day of Peace and Tolerance".

Tutu met interim president Boniface Alexandre Saturday, and was scheduled to hold talks with other Haitian leaders during his visit. He leaves Haiti on Tuesday.

The former archbishop of Cape Town was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1984 for his non-violent struggle against apartheid in his native South Africa.

Calls for calm as Haiti poll leader faces runoff

2006-02-12T09:19:00.000-05:00

PORT-AU-PRINCE: Haitian authorities appealed for calm yesterday as Rene Preval, a champion of the poor, dipped below the 50 per cent vote needed to win presidential elections outright.

With a quarter of the votes still to be counted, Mr Preval, a former president, had 49.6 per cent of the vote and a huge lead over his rivals, but fell just short of the majority he needs to avert a second-round vote.
This stirred tensions in the volatile Caribbean nation, where thousands of residents of the Port-au-Prince slums took to the streets, chanting their conviction that Mr Preval had already won.

Authorities urged Haitians to await the outcomes of the February 7 presidential and legislative elections when they are announced today.

Mr Preval's 49.6 per cent lead was trailed by former president Leslie Manigat with 11 per cent and wealthy industrialist Charles Baker with 8 per cent.

"I urge the population not to demonstrate so as not to soil a pure and magnanimous act, because such demonstrations could lead to violence," said electoral council director Jacques Bernard.

"Don't let politicians manipulate you to make disorder. The final results will come," an election official told listeners on Haitian radio.

While the rallies were peaceful, a senior UN official in Haiti said that if Mr Preval was not elected in the first round "there is a risk of violent demonstrations", particularly in the Cite Soleil shantytown, a stronghold of Preval support.

"If there is a second round, the most radical elements in Cite Soleil will claim Preval's victory was stolen," he said, asking not to be identified.

In one march, pro-Preval demonstrators chanted in front of the Presidential Palace, then ripped up posters of the 32 other candidates on the palace fence, leaving only Mr Preval's picture on display.

"What is taking so long?" asked Jean Philip, a Preval organiser in the poor Bel Aire area. "I think they're trying to steal the vote."

Should the election go to a runoff, due on March 19, Mr Preval would probably battle it out with Mr Manigat, 75.

Mr Preval is an ally of Jean Bertrand Aristide, the former president who was forced from office and fled Haiti in 2004 amid armed opposition and diplomatic pressure from Washington and Paris.

Preval's lead slips below majority required

2006-02-11T23:03:00.000-05:00

PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti - Rene Preval held a commanding lead but slipped below the majority of votes needed to avoid a runoff as counting continued for a fourth day Saturday in Haiti's presidential elections.

Preval was leading with 49.61 percent of the vote followed by former President Leslie Manigat with 11 percent and industrialist Charles Baker with 8 percent. Final results were expected Sunday.

About 70 percent of an estimated 2.2 million votes have been counted, said Jacques Bernard, director general of the Provisional Electoral Counsel. The winning candidate needs 50 percent plus one vote to avoid a March runoff with the second-place finisher.

The possibility of a runoff threatened to plunge Haiti into renewed violence as thousands of Preval supporters marched Saturday in scattered demonstrations in the capital city, demanding a Preval victory announcement. Bernard and other nervous election officials urged patience after failing to meet a Saturday deadline for results.

The country remained largely calm while elections officials said they were simply overwhelmed by a huge and unexpected turnout of at least 2.2 million voters.

"Don't let politicians manipulate you to make disorder. The final results will come," elections official Rosemond Pradel told listeners on Haitian radio. The former Pembroke Pines, Fla., resident, who returned to Haiti to help run the elections council, urged citizens not to demonstrate until final results were released.

In one demonstration, hundreds of chanting demonstrators marched peacefully around the slum of Bel Aire on Saturday afternoon for about an hour, chanting "Lespwa! Lespwa!" or "The Hope," the name of Preval's political party. Preval supporters held meetings in several slums like Cite Soleil urging calm, even as they voiced concerns over a runoff.

In another march, pro-Preval demonstrators briefly chanted in front of the Presidential Palace, then ripped up large posters of 32 other candidates on the palace fence, leaving only Preval's picture. "What is taking so long? They told us there would be results Saturday," said Jean Philip, a Preval organizer in Bel Aire. "I think they're trying to steal the vote."

Cedras Sorel, 42, said the situation could turn violent even with a runoff. "I don't believe he (Preval) is just barely winning. We want a president now, not another election in which the bourgeoisie can cheat," said the mechanic, referring to upper classes who have long controlled Haiti's politics.

Other demonstrators complained about Preval's steadily shrinking lead. Preval led with 65 percent of the votes when partial results were first released on Thursday and seemed headed toward an overwhelming first-round victory. But that lead narrowed considerably with Friday's results, leading some to think elections officials were trying to fix the vote.

The explanation revolves around nullified votes and a mix of favorite son candidates in some regions of the country who are drawing votes away from Preval, election officials said. About 7.6 percent of the ballots counted so far have been rejected, prompting some calls for an investigation.

International election observers said there were plenty of signs of poor management and disorganization at the polls, but no signs of a widespread fraud. Ballots were nullified in some cases because X's were placed over a candidate's face rather than in a box, while others were filled out improperly by voters who were likely illiterate.

Haiti’s temporary peace

2006-02-11T21:49:00.000-05:00

PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti, February 11, 2006. Nation’s poorest storm presidential palace, livid results of election their candidate is said to have won have not be finalized.

A delicate peace that has blanketed this volatile country since Tuesday's landmark presidential elections threatened to fray yesterday as thousands of slum dwellers -- some spurred by gang leaders -- marched to Haiti's presidential palace to demand their candidate be declared the winner.

With 72 percent of votes counted, the latest official results showed frontrunner René Préval, a former president and champion of the poor, slipping to 49.6 percent. He would need 50 percent plus one additional vote to avoid a runoff.

But international electoral observers told Newsday that an analysis of the vote showed Préval had won about 54.5 percent, enough to win on the first round. The sample of 12 percent of votes was conducted by a Haitian electoral observation group and monitored by the National Democratic Institute, an arm of the U.S. State Department, the sources said.

"Give us results!" and "Préval forever!" protesters shouted as they waved Préval flags. Two demonstrators scaled a lamppost outside the palace gates and ripped down a poster of a rival candidate, Evans Paul.

The protests coincided with the start of a four-day visit to Haiti by Former South African Anglican Archbishop Desmond Tutu, a Nobel peace laureate who hopes to foster reconciliation between a tiny elite and a desperately poor majority in this former slave colony.

Marchers streamed through this capital city from slums including Cité Soleil, a shantytown so dangerous that 9,000 United Nations peacekeepers deployed in Haiti can't quash the armed gangs that rule there. In Cité Soleil, gang leaders helped start the march by zooming around on motorscooters, shouting through loudspeakers: "Mobilize!"

"The government is trying to steal the election from the poor," yelled protester Marie Therese Pierre, 63, a tiny grandmother. "It is hiding the results because it knows Préval won."

Haitian riot police and UN troops in tanks stood guard at the palace, but no incidents were reported.

Voters are electing a successor to President Jean-Bertrand Aristide, a firebrand slum priest who fled amid an armed uprising two years ago, plunging this already troubled country into near-chaos.

Last night's partial count showed Préval to be well ahead in the 33-way race. His closest challengers were former President Leslie Manigat, with 11.6 percent, and factory owner Charles Henri Baker, with 8.1 percent.

Préval, 63, a former bakery owner, served as president from 1996 to 2001 and was Aristide's protege. But he's since distanced himself from Aristide, who was forced out amid allegations he was a despot propped up by armed thugs.

Political violence and kidnapping, much of it the work of gangs and rogue police, has soared since Aristide fled. However, in recent days, the country has been almost eerily calm. Only four kidnappings were reported over the past week, down from nearly 10 a day in December. During the same period, Jordanian peacekeepers who trade gunfire with gangs in Cité Soleil were shot at 17 times -- a record low -- and fired only 700 rounds back, compared with 4,000 rounds the previous week, a UN spokesman said.

Some Cité Soleil gang members said crime was down because they wanted to ensure peaceful voting for Préval, who adamantly denies links to armed groups. Gang leader Nicolas Augudson, a.k.a. General Toutou, even said gangs will turn in their weapons if Préval wins.

"Préval will bring schools and roads and jobs. He'll make sure the bourgeoisie disarms, too," said Toutou, 24, who calls himself a community activist, during an interview in an alleyway plastered with Aristide graffiti and Préval posters.

Commissioner R. Graham Muir, a Canadian who heads the UN mission's 1,700-member international police force in Haiti, said the calm shows "there is some tacit agreement for the gang leaders to support the vote for Préval." Asked if there's a quid pro quo from Préval's camp, Muir replied, "I don't know."

Preval Drops Below 50 Percent in Haiti Vote: Partial Results

2006-02-11T21:38:00.000-05:00

Port-au-Prince, Sunday, 12 February 2006. Rene Preval dropped below the 50 percent needed to avert a second-round presidential vote in Haiti, according to partial results released Saturday.

But Preval held a strong lead with 49.6 percent of the vote, based on 72 percent of ballots tallied from Tuesday's election. While the partial results placed Preval just under the majority needed to avert a second round against his main rival, the former president maintained a 38 percent lead over second placed Leslie Manigat.Manigat, also an ex-president, garnered 11 percent, followed by industrialist Charles Henri Baker, with 8.1 percent, the Provisional Electoral Council (CEP) announced at a news conference.

The tabulation of the ballots from Tuesday's presidential and legislative elections was scheduled to continue through the night, said CEP director Jacques Bernard.Several thousand people took to the streets of Port-au-Prince Saturday in celebratory marches, insisting Preval had already won and demanding final results be announced swiftly.

Protesters demand Haiti election results

2006-02-11T17:53:00.000-05:00

Port-au-Prince, February 12, 2006, Hundreds of people marched in Haiti's capital on Saturday in support of ex-president Rene Preval, and some accused elections officials of trying to steal the first vote since Jean-Bertrand Aristide was ousted two years ago.

Preval, the one-time Aristide ally was leading with just over 50 per cent of the vote - the majority he would need to avoid a second round of voting on March 19.

Four days after the election, less than two-thirds of the votes had been counted, creating suspicion among residents of Preval's stronghold in the Cite Soleil slum that the vote was being manipulated.

Demonstrators swarmed the National Palace, where they tore down large posters of the nearly three dozen presidential candidates that had been attached to the metal fence surrounding the palace grounds - all but Preval's.

Preval's campaign demanded copies of vote-count forms after the latest tallies from Tuesday's election showed at least 105,000 spoiled ballots.

An elections council member said the number of spoiled ballots was "suspect" and called for an investigation.

With 63 per cent of polling stations reporting and about 1.4 million ballots tallied so far, another ex-president, Leslie Manigat, was running second with 11.9 per cent and industrialist Charles Baker, considered the candidate of the wealthy elite, was third with 7.8 per cent.

"If they don't give us Preval, there will be no peace. Somebody paid the election council to give away the result," Marie, 46, shouted. "We did not vote for Manigat. We did not vote for Baker. We voted for Preval."

A victory for Preval could prove unsettling to the United States, which worked to push Aristide from power two years ago. On Friday, Washington urged Preval, who maintained a low profile in his mountain hometown of Marmelade in the north, to oppose Aristide's return from exile in South Africa.

Preval inherited Aristide's strong support in the slums of Port-au-Prince and his possible victory concerned the wealthy elite who helped oust Aristide.

In Cite Soleil, Haiti's largest slum and a stronghold of Aristide, demonstrators ran through the streets past tumbledown shanties and open sewers, waving tree branches and shouting "Preval is our president!" They demanded a speedier vote count.

"We voted for Preval to move this country," said Jean-Paul LeBlante, 38. "If there is a problem (with the election) we will have an explosion. There will not be enough water to put out the fire in this country."

Demonstrators complained about Preval's shrinking lead. He held 61 per cent after the first results were released on Thursday, and seemed headed toward a first-round victory, but just over half in Friday's results, leading some to believe elections officials were trying to fix the vote.

About 7.6 per cent of the ballots counted so far were rejected. In some places, the number was much higher. In the southern Nippes department, for example, 14.1 per cent of ballots were spoiled, and in the Centre department, 12.9 per cent.

"It is suspect," said Patrick Fequiere, an electoral council member who often finds himself at odds with other members. "It should be investigated."

Baker, the third-place candidate, has also asked for an investigation into possible fraud.

International observers have said there were irregularities at the polls but probably not enough to taint the result.

Claude Parent, director of a mission representing eight countries in the Americas including Canada and the United States, said some voters put an X over the picture of the candidate rather than in the circle next to the picture.

At some polling stations those ballots were counted and at others they were rejected, he said, adding that the ballots that clearly indicated who the voter meant to choose should be counted.

"We think this election should be something that the international community should accept and we think the Haitian people should accept it," Parent said.

Signficant percentage of ballots nullified

2006-02-11T17:43:00.000-05:00

International observers have said they saw some irregularities at polling stations but have not suggested the results were tainted by fraud. A significant percentage of ballots cast have been nullified.

Elections officials said the results released on Friday included tallies from all of Haiti's ten departments (provinces), whereas Thursday's results included only five.

"Preval has quite a bit of popularity in the West and it is the first department that we processed, and therefore he was ahead of everybody," said Jacques Bernard, director-general of the elections council. "As we include other departments his percentage is going down."

And observers noted that large numbers of ballots were being nullified. Nationwide, 7.7 percent of the 1.1 million votes processed so far had been nullified. But in Nippes department, for example, 14.1 percent were deemed invalid and in Centre, 12.9 percent were nullified.

Key Provisions of Les Decrets Electoraux de L’Annee 2005, Decret portant amendement du decret electoral du 20 october 2005 (Charles Henri Baker)

2006-02-11T13:16:00.000-05:00

Key Provisions of Les Decrets Electoraux de L’Annee 2005, Decret portant amendement du decret electoral du 20 october 2005:

Articles 174. Le President du bureau de vote peut requerir tout agent de la Police Nationale d’Haiti ou a defaut l’agent administrative de securite electorale pour expulser tout individu qui troublerait de quelque facon que ce soit la tenue du vote. Un process-verbal en sera dresse.

Article 175. Aucun citoyen n’est autorise a porter une arme a feu ou un object quelconque susceptible de poorter atteinte aux view de members du bureau de vote ou des electeurs presents dans le bureau de vote.

Article 176. Seules les personnes authroisees peuvent penetrer dans l’enceinte du bureau de vote. Le CEP doit fournir les autorisations aux personnes concerneees au plus tard quinze jour savant le jour du scutin.

Article 179. Les electeurs se presenteront dans l’ordre, les uns après les autres.

Article 181. Avant d’admettre l’electeur a voter, le President doit verifier sic e dernier: est inscrit sur le registre electoral; est muni de sa carte d’identification nationale; n’a pas deja vote. Le secretaire inscrit le numero de la carte de l’electeur sur la liste d’emargement.

Article 182. Au moment de voter, e’electeur remet sa carte d’identication nationale au president du bureau de vote et recoit un bulletin pour chacun des poste electifs…Dan l’isoloir, l’electeur margue d’une croix, d’un “X” ou d’un autre signe les bulletins de vote dans l’espace (cercle, photo, embleme) reserve au candidate de son choix. Apres que l’electeur a vote, le pouce de sa main droite est marque d’encre indelebile et sa carte lui est restituee.

CEP -- No exact date for final tally (Charles Henri Baker)

2006-02-11T12:29:00.000-05:00

Port-au-Prince, February 11, 2006. Rene Preval's lead in the Haitian presidential race shrank dramatically Friday, raising the possibility of a runoff election to determine the troubled nation's next leader. With half the ballots counted, Preval had 50.26 percent of the vote, barely above the 50 percent mark required to avert a runoff, Haiti's electoral commission announced.

The announcement was a blow to Preval supporters, who rejoiced Thursday when the commission said the former president had 61 percent of the vote after 15 percent of ballots had been counted.

Preval is trailed by another former president, Leslie Manigat, with 11.4 percent, and Charles Henri Baker, a businessman, with 8.3 percent. Baker has alleged fraud.

The final results are awaited anxiously in a nation prone to election-related violence and dissension. Electoral commission members refused to project when they would be finished counting. "You cannot force me to give an exact date," member Max Mathurn said.

Haiti poll may go to second round – Dominican Today

2006-02-11T11:54:00.000-05:00

Port-Au-Prince, February 11, 2006. Latest interim results in Haiti's elections suggest the presidential race will go to a second, run-off round. Former President Rene Preval, a one-time ally of ousted leader Jean-Bertrand Aristide, is now polling 50.2% with half the votes counted.

Mr Preval needs at least 50% to avoid a run-off. His supporters are alleging fraud after seeing his share drop from more than 60% in first results issued.

But international observers say the poll was free and fair.

Another ex-leader, Leslie Manigat, has 11.4%, while industrialist Charles Henry Baker has 8.3%, latest results show.

The country – the poorest in the Americas – is choosing a 129-member parliament as well as a new president.

The election process has so far been peaceful but the news of a possible second round could bring fresh instability, says the BBC's Claire Marshall in the capital, Port-au-Prince.

"We all voted for Preval. I really hope there isn't a second round because it will mean the election results were fiddled with and there will be trouble," one woman in an impoverished slum, where Preval enjoys strong support, told the BBC.

Charles Henry Baker has also alleged fraud, claiming some people were allowed to vote more than once because voter lists were not followed.

International observers say there were some minor procedural irregularities during Tuesday's voting but have deemed the election free and fair.

The US State Department has also declared the voting process free from fraud.

"The key here is that there is a high turnout. The Haitian people invested in this election process," state department spokesman Sean McCormack said.

However, in an implicit warning to Mr Preval – who once had strong links with Mr Aristide – the spokesman said the US expects the deposed leader to remain in exile in South Africa.

Mr Preval has told the BBC Mr Aristide may return if he wishes, although he would not tolerate the violent groups that have pledged allegiance to him.

In one positive sign, a prominent gang leader declared that his group would lay down their guns if Mr Preval – seen as the champion of the poor – becomes president.

Preval opponent says fraud may have tainted Haiti elections

2006-02-11T11:46:00.000-05:00

PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti Saturday, February 11, 2006 - A presidential candidate running third in early official returns said yesterday that there were reports of multiple voting in some areas and he said the international community was too quick to endorse the long-awaited election.

Charles Henri Baker, a wealthy businessman, said he has filed a complaint with Haiti's electoral council, asking it to annul votes from any polling station Tuesday where people were found to have voted more than once.

"We're starting to hear that people voted five times, 10 times, 20 times," Baker said in an interview with The Associated Press. "This is a worry to us because we don't know if it happened at one centre, 10 centres ... or all over the country."

The electoral council reported Thursday that Baker was running third, with 6.1 per cent of the vote, far behind former President Rene Preval, who had 61.5 per cent of the 282,327 votes counted. According to the United Nations, a majority of Haiti's 3.5 million eligible voters cast ballots.

Baker said the results were based on "very minute" returns and were "really irrelevant." He also ruled out participating in a possible Preval government.

"He has a past and the past is not too brilliant," Baker said. "I would not take any positions in his government."

Baker said he didn't know whether fraud affected the outcome, but he said he was "flabbergasted that the international community would say everything went well. ... If this happened in any other country, they would say, 'Cancel the damn elections'."

Officials at Haiti's electoral office weren't immediately available for comment.

The electoral council said Thursday that former president Leslie Manigat had 13.4 per cent and Baker 6.1 per cent of the votes counted, according to figures released by election officials.

International Monitors Deplore Destruction of Ballots

2006-02-11T11:38:00.000-05:00

Delmas, February 10, 2006. The Baker campaign Friday sent a letter to the electoral council alleging vote fraud and asking it to nullify the votes ``where there were too many irregularities.''

``People voted two, three and four times,'' said Hans Tippenhauer, a Baker campaign adviser. ``We do say we will accept the results, as long as the council members are doing their part.''

International election observers said that while they saw some problems, they were isolated. They commended the Haitian people for their large turnout, and called on electoral officials to correct problems, like late-opening polls and ballots thrown out after they were counted, for the second round.

``Our mission deplores some isolated incidents, in particular the destruction of ballots,'' said Jean-Pierre Kingsley, chairman of the 127-member International Mission for Monitoring Haitian Elections. ``That being said, we would like to emphasize the general absence of intimidation and violence at polling centers.'' Preval's campaign advisers acknowledged Friday that his lead might be shrinking as reports from the provinces trickle in. They had predicted an outright victory one day after the vote when the tallies included only the Port-au-Prince region.

Conseil Electoral Provisoire (CEP) Website

2006-02-10T23:55:00.000-05:00

The Conseil Electoral Provisoire (CEB) website is located at http://www.cep-ht.org/

Election results are updated periodically.

Haiti poll leader's margin narrows

2006-02-10T23:54:00.000-05:00

PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti (AP) -- Presidential candidate Rene Preval's lead narrowed Friday as more ballots were counted, raising the possibility he would have to face a runoff against the second-place finisher to determine who will lead this fractured and impoverished nation.

If Preval wins outright or in a second round and moves into the cream-colored presidential palace, he will face a weighty agenda to pull Haiti from the brink of collapse.

Election workers were still tallying votes late Friday, three days after a huge voter turnout almost overwhelmed poll workers.

Preval, a former president and agronomist who is highly popular among the poor, had 50.26 percent of 1.1 million valid votes counted so far, the electoral council said. More than 1.75 million voters cast ballots, U.N. officials said.

If no candidate wins a majority, a runoff between the top two vote-getters will be held March 19.

A candidate running a distant third said he wanted the electoral council to investigate reports of fraud, claiming some people voted several times. International observers have widely praised Tuesday's elections as free and fair.

If Preval wins, he will have to immediately begin negotiating with opposition parties in parliament, where his Lespwa Party is expected to be weak, to select a prime minister. And he must stem gang violence that is driving out manufacturers and eliminating thousands of jobs.

"Everything in Haiti is broken and everything needs fixing," said Robert Maguire, director of the international affairs program at Trinity University in Washington. "One of the most immediate tasks is reconciliation and dialogue among Haitians."

This desperately poor Caribbean nation has been without an elected leadership and has been descending into anarchy since President Jean-Bertrand Aristide was ousted in a bloody rebellion two years ago. The huge voter turnout Tuesday showed Haitians long for stability.

Unconventional style
Preval has refrained from declaring victory, but indicated he would have an unconventional style.

"Don't ask me to wear a tie," he told reporters Friday in his home village of Marmelade. He also recalled his youthful days as an anarchist.

"I still am," he quipped, adding that he is a nonviolent one who believes power should flow from government to the people.

Preval must help bring together Haiti's polarized society that is split between the few rich and the majority poor, experts say.

Preval already has strong support from Cite Soleil, the huge shantytown where U.N. peacekeepers regularly traded fire with well-armed gang members before the election.

"I think Preval is going to come in and help with health care, put more schools in the slum, bring treated water to drink and teams who can come in and clean the sewers," a gang leader who goes by the name Toutou said in an interview with The Associated Press in Cite Soleil.

Toutou, who describes himself as a social activist rather than a gang leader, said the armed factions in Cite Soleil are willing to "put down our guns" if their opponents do the same.

Preval's honeymoon period is apt to be short among those who live in the sprawling slums, where a lack of opportunity has steered young men into gangs that have battled with U.N. peacekeepers and kidnapped hundreds of people for ransom.

"The window will probably not be open too long," Maguire said. "He will have to show some improvement in their lives. And he will need partnerships of Haitians with resources to do this."

Since wealthier Haitians have been among the kidnap victims, "It's in their interest ultimately to become proactive in trying to address the problems of Haiti's poor," Maguire said in a telephone interview.

Election returns indicated Preval might have enough votes to win outright and avoid a March runoff between the top two finishers. The early returns had Leslie Manigat, a former president, with 11.41 percent of the vote and businessman Charles Henri Baker with 8.3 percent.

Baker claimed there was fraud.

"We're starting to hear that people voted five times, 10 times, 20 times," Baker said. "This is a worry to us because we don't know if it happened at one center, 10 centers ... or all over the country."

Officials at Haiti's electoral office weren't immediately available for comment.

If Preval wins, it will be people like Baker -- a wealthy garment factory owner -- he must try to win over so Haiti charts a new course.

"Preval is going to have to be bringing people to the table and finding common ground to move forward," Maguire said. "It is going to be quite a challenge."

Candidate alleges fraud as Haiti awaits poll count - Reuters

2006-02-10T23:51:00.000-05:00

PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti, Feb 10 (Reuters) - The candidate of Haiti's business elite, trailing in this week's presidential election, alleged polling fraud on Friday as former President Rene Preval appeared headed for an outright victory.

Industrialist Charles Baker, considered a candidate of the wealthy in the impoverished country, said he had asked election officials to investigate whether people were allowed to vote more than once because voter lists were not followed.

"We had a lot of (polling station) volunteers who said they saw people voting five times, seven times, eight times," he said. He was lying third with just six percent of the vote so far. Elections officials said about 15 percent of the votes had been counted.

International observers have said they saw some irregularities at polling stations but have not suggested the results would be tainted by fraud.

A victory for Preval could prove unsettling to the United States, which worked to push his mentor, former president Jean-Bertrand Aristide, from power two years ago.

On Friday Washington urged Preval, who maintained a low profile in his mountain hometown of Marmelade in the north, to oppose Aristide's return from exile in South Africa.

Preval inherited Aristide's rabid support in the slums of Port-au-Prince and his possible victory concerned the wealthy elite who helped push Aristide from office.

Preval, who led the poorest nation in the Americas from 1996 to 2001, has not yet claimed victory. But he said on Friday he was not surprised by the results known so far.

"During the campaign I felt the enthusiasm which would translate into a favorable vote for me," he told the Miami Herald and Reuters television in an interview.

Another former president, Leslie Manigat, was running second to Preval with 13.4 percent.

A couple of other notables among the field of 33 presidential candidates trailed badly. Former World Bank official Marc Bazin, who was prime minister in the early 1990s, and Guy Philippe, an ex-police chief who led a revolt in 2004 against Aristide, each had less than 1 percent.

Preval, 63, was president between the two terms of Aristide, a firebrand former Roman Catholic priest accused of despotism and corruption before he was driven out.

Although he has put some distance between himself and his mentor, Preval has said there is nothing to stop Aristide from returning to Haiti from his South African exile.

Preval lead narrows in Haitian election - Sydney Morning Herald

2006-02-10T23:39:00.000-05:00

February 11, 2006 - 3:09PM Former President Rene Preval could be headed for a runoff in Haiti's first election since Jean-Bertrand Aristide was ousted two years ago, according to the latest election results issued on Friday.

With about half the votes counted, Preval held 50.3 percent, just barely above the majority he would need to avoid a second round of voting on March 19. On Thursday, Preval held 61 percent, when only 15 percent had been counted, and appeared on his way to an outright victory.

Another former president, Leslie Manigat, was in second place with 11.4 percent and industrialist Charles Baker held third with 8.3 percent, according to the results published by the Provisional Electoral Council.

Preval, a protege of Aristide and the favoured candidate of Haiti's poor masses, was heavily favoured to win Tuesday's election, in which Baker, the candidate of the Caribbean nation's wealthy elite, has asked for an investigation into possible fraud.

Baker said on Friday he had asked election officials to investigate whether people were allowed to vote more than once because voter lists were not followed. "We had a lot of (polling station) volunteers who said they saw people voting five times, seven times, eight times," he said.

International observers have said they saw some irregularities at polling stations but have not suggested the results were tainted by fraud. A significant percentage of ballots cast have been nullified.

A victory for Preval could prove unsettling to the United States, which worked to push Aristide from power two years ago. On Friday, Washington urged Preval, who maintained a low profile in his mountain hometown of Marmelade in the north, to oppose Aristide's return from exile in South Africa.

Preval inherited Aristide's strong support in the slums of Port-au-Prince and his possible victory concerned the wealthy elite who helped push Aristide from office.

Elections officials said the results released on Friday included tallies from all of Haiti's ten departments (provinces), whereas Thursday's results included only five.

"Preval has quite a bit of popularity in the West and it is the first department that we processed, and therefore he was ahead of everybody," said Jacques Bernard, director-general of the elections council. "As we include other departments his percentage is going down."

And observers noted that large numbers of ballots were being nullified. Nationwide, 7.7 percent of the 1.1 million votes processed so far had been nullified.

But in Nippes department, for example, 14.1 percent were deemed invalid and in Centre, 12.9 percent were nullified.

Preval, who led the poorest nation in the Americas from 1996 to 2001, has not claimed victory. But he said earlier on Friday he was not surprised by the results known so far.

"During the campaign I felt the enthusiasm which would translate into a favourable vote for me," he told the Miami Herald and Reuters television in an interview.

Preval, 63, was president between the two terms of Aristide, a firebrand former Roman Catholic priest accused of despotism and corruption before he was driven out.

Although he has put some distance between himself and his mentor, Preval has said there is nothing to stop Aristide from returning to Haiti from his South African exile.

Baker Campaign Cautions Patience; It's too early to know election results (Charles Henri Baker)

2006-02-09T15:44:00.000-05:00

Port-au-Prince, February 9, 2006. A spokesman for the campaign of Independent Presidential Candidate Charles Henri Baker said that it was too early to know the results of Tuesday’s national elections in Haiti.

Hans Tippenhauer, a Baker campaign advisor said, “Preval has not won the election; the votes have not been counted. We are not conceding the election and hope to meet Mr. Preval in a second round in March.”

Tippenhauer said, “Rumors are awash in the capital about a Preval victory, and the international press have picked them up. It’s much too early to know anything other than Preval has done well in Port-au-Prince, representing only 20 percent of the total vote. As of now, votes have been counted from only 1600 of 9,000 polling stations around the country, mostly from the Department de l’Ouest. In other parts of the country, Preval is not doing well and is receiving about 30 percent of the vote, confirming our belief that there will be a second round. The Conseil Electoral Provisoire (CEP) is suggesting that the counting may take ten days, so we won’t know the results for a long time. Charlito is waiting for the elections results, and he’s optimistic there will be a second round in March. In the meantime, we are making preparations to continue the campaign.”

Tippenhauer said, “Everybody needs to think about what will happen after these elections. If Mr. Preval wins, we will offer constructive suggestions so that he can govern effectively. If Charlito wins or if Leslie Manigat wins, we expect Mr. Preval’s support for the new Government. At the end of the day, we all have to work together for the good of Haiti.”

Vote Count May Take Ten Days (Charles Henri Baker)

2006-02-09T14:09:00.000-05:00

Port-au-Prince, February 9, 2006. Unconfirmed reports from the Conseil Electoral Provisoire (CEP) state that the vote count may take 10 days. As of now, ballots have been counted for only 1500 of 9,000 polling stations, most in the Department de l'Ouest.

Voter Registration Lists Found in Trash at Ecole Alfred Vieux, Petion-Ville (Charles Henri Baker)

2006-02-09T12:59:00.000-05:00

Port-au-Prince, February 9, 2006. Stacks of voter registration lists were found discarded in trash containers behind the Ecole Alfred Vieux in Petion-ville, after Tuesday's elections. The voter registraton lists should have been marked by an election official with unique voter ID numbers before an individual voted and then returned to the Conseil Electoral Provisoire (CEP) after the election. The lists, with the voter ID numbers, were the only control to ensure that voters did not vote repeatedly during Tuesday's election. Many individuals went to their designated polling stations only to be told that their names were not on the list. In some cases, there were no lists at the polling places. According to some reports, when a list was not avaialble, voters were told that they could vote anywhere.

Chaotic Election Creates Voting Irregularities (Charles Henri Baker)

2006-02-09T12:32:00.000-05:00

Port-au-Prince, February 9, 2006. Reports from Baker campaign workers deployed across the country indicate many voting regularities. The chaotic conditions allowed permitted unauthorized individuals to be in or near the voting booths, as voters cast their ballots.

Extensive Voter Intimidation and Fraud in Haitian Elections (Charles Henri Baker)

2006-02-08T18:15:00.000-05:00

Port-au-Prince, February 8, 2006. The extent of the voter fraud and intimidation that took place in yesterday’s national elections appears to be much greater and widespread than previous thought.

Because results of the election have not yet been released by the Conseil Electoral Provisoire (CEP), the Baker campaign will not release its detailed reports of the incidents until after the CEP releases its final tally. However, it is clear from the reports received that there was massive voter fraud and intimidation throughout the country.

The Baker campaign had received dozens of reports of election abuse beginning early Tuesday morning, and the reports of election irregularities continue to stream in. Today, a number of people from the Petion-ville area have brought evidence of voter fraud to the Baker campaign headquarters. This evidence includes many voter registration sheets that had been discarded in the trash near the polling stations. Some voter tally sheets indicate more votes than are registered at the poll. Most of the voter registration and tally sheets do not have the information required by the law.

In a chilling example of voter intimidation, a videotape provided to the campaign shows unidentified men, inside a Petion-ville polling station, instructing voters for whom to vote.

The campaign is compiling its list of “election anomalies” to provide to electoral officials and international election monitoring personnel.

The documentary evidence received by the campaign today is in addition to the testimonial evidence of Baker field representatives. These representatives have reported scores of Election Day illegalities and irregularities, including:

The presence of unauthorized firearms in polling places.
Voter intimidation at gunpoint
Armed men directing voters to vote for Rene Preval.
Restricting access to polling places by accredited Baker campaign representatives
Daylight stealing of ballots, already cast.
Police officers filling out ballots for voters
Unauthorized individuals filling out ballots for voters.
The presence of unauthorized individuals in polling places instructing voters how to vote.
Incomplete voter registration lists
Missing voter registration lists
Unauthorized closing of voting locations
Individuals voting repeatedly at the same location
Voter counts exceeding the maximum number of voters registered in a polling location.

A Second Round! (Charles Henri Baker)

2006-02-08T15:35:00.000-05:00

Port-au-Prince, February 8, 2006. According to sources, the Conseil Electoral Provisoire (CEP)has said that a "second round" of elections will be held March 19, 2006. There was no announcement identifying the candidates for that election.

“A Victory for Democracy in Haiti” (Charles Henri Baker)

2006-02-08T14:17:00.000-05:00

Port-au-Prince, February 7, 2006. Charles Henri Baker, Independent candidate for President of Haiti, released the following statement from his Port-au-Prince headquarters—

“Today’s national elections in Haiti represent a great victory for democracy and the people in Haiti. It has been six long years since our people have had an opportunity to cast their vote and to express their hopes for Haiti’s future. But, today, millions of Haitians proudly went to the polls to make their voices heard about the direction we should take as a Nation. North, South, East and West—Haitians went to the vote before the light of day, and waited for hours to express their will.

Yes, there were problems with this election and we are not proud of them. We have heard reports of voter intimidation and threats, sometimes at the barrel of a gun. We have received reports of disorganization, mismanagement and incompetence at some polling stations. We will provide our reports of the irregularities to the appropriate authorities.

Yet, we have made our voices heard. I am proud of the courage and strength of our people, so clearly seen today during this experiment in democracy. In spite of all the challenges that face our people, in spite of the efforts of the anti-democratic groups, the people of Haiti have stood up and shown the world that we are a great Nation that believes in freedom, democracy and the rule of the law.

Congratulations, people of Haiti. Together, we have taken the first steps to a better future.”

An Interview with Charles Henri Baker – Monday, February 6, 2006

2006-02-08T12:07:00.000-05:00

Reporter: Why are you taking this risk to run for President of Haiti?

Baker: I have one country, and four children. I don’t plan on living any place else. I love my country, I love the Haitian people. I’m proud to be a candidate for public office in Haiti.

Reporter: What is your platform for governing?

Baker: Our philosophy is Order, Discipline, Work and, above all Respect. We need Order and Discipline so we can create jobs. We will respect the Constitution, the rule of law and each other.

Reporter: What do Haitians think about the motto “Order Discipline Work Respect?"

Baker: The elections will show what the people think. Haitians are tired of no law, no order, no discipline, and no respect.

Reporter: What does the country need most?

Baker: Security is our biggest need. We’ve lost thousands of jobs and many lives from the insecurity. When we address the problem of security, we will begin to grow again. We will help the Haitian peasant immediately and provide them with the means to produce more food. We will open agricultural credit banks to increase production and efficiency. Through agriculture, we can create jobs throughout the country, and bring down the cost of living since much of our food is currently imported.

Reporter: Has the light complexion of your skin been a factor in these elections?

Baker: No, not at all. It hasn't been an issue in our campaign. Haiti is in trouble, and one doesn’t look at the color of the hand that wants to help. Charles Baker keeps his word, and the people know that. Haitians admire that. I stand for honesty, courage, and positive change for the country—this is what the Haitian people want.

Reporter: Do you support continued presence of UN forces?

Baker: Yes, I think we will need the UN for a period of time, but not forever. A maximum of two years. We’ll have to beef up the police force and restore the army. According to our Constitution, the police have their job to do, and the army has its job. We need a modern army with a corps of engineers and a medical corps.

Reporter: How are you different than Rene Preval?

Baker: Preval was President and he did nothing good for Haiti. I have been in business for 30 years; I’m a farmer and I’ve been in commerce and industry. I have been successful. I have solid ideas about how to create jobs and prosperity.

Reporter: Will Haiti’s elections be fair?

Baker: We hope that they will. We will have 12,000 observers throughout the country to monitor the fairness of the elections.

Reporter: Do you look at yourself as a new hope for Haiti?

Baker: Haiti wants an honest president, with the courage and vision to save the country. A president with the knowledge to create jobs and to move the country forward. People want a better life. They want clean water and reliable electricity. They want to send their children to good schools and they want good health care. I’m the only who has made my money outside of politics. I have a track record of success and of helping people. It’s important that I do my part.

Reporter: If you lose the elections, will you leave Haiti? What will you do?

Baker: No, I’m not going anywhere. Haiti is my home. I’ve been fighting democracy for thirty years. And I’ll continue to fight for what I believe in.

Reporter: Where will you vote?

Baker: My wife and I will vote near our home. We’ll try to get there early, and I hope that we’ll be among the first people to vote.

Reporter: And what are your plans for tomorrow?

Baker: We’ll vote, and then we’ll come back to the office where we will await the decision of the voters.

Election Results - Update

2006-02-08T12:02:00.000-05:00

As of 12 noon today, no preliminary election results have been released by the Conseil Electoral Provisoire (CEP). Campaign staffers are at the CEP to monitor developments there.

Election Day (Charles Henri Baker)

2006-02-08T12:01:00.000-05:00

Port-au-Prince, February 7, 2006. The Baker campaign monitored the national elections from its Port-au-Prince headquarters. Over 20 staffers tracked voting trends and poll results as they were reported in from Haiti’s provinces and urban areas. Over 12,000 campaign workers were posted throughout the country to monitor Election Day activities.

Polls closed; preliminary results

2006-02-07T19:52:00.000-05:00

Port-au-Prince, February 7, 2006. Election polls have closed around the country, and the votes are being tallied in over 800 polling centers. Preliminary results indicate strong support for Charles Henri Baker in the northern part of Haiti and throughout the rural areas. Early results from Port-au-Prince show broad support for Rene Preval in the several areas where results have been reported to Baker headquarters. Final official results will be announced by the CEP Friday.

Lack of Security Major Factor in Haiti Elections (Charles Henri Baker)

2006-02-07T14:02:00.000-05:00

Port-au-Prince, February 7, 2006. Inadequate security is a major factor contributing to the disorganization of Haiti's national elections. Senior campaign advisors said that they were disappointed in the deployment of United Nations peacekeepers throughout the country, and especially in Port-au-Prince. "The United Nations argued for a smaller number of polling stations nationwide, so that they would be able to provide the security necessary for a fair vote," said a Baker official. "The UN Stabilization Mission in Haiti (MINUSTAH) is not doing the job that we expected. A strong UN presence at the polling stations would discourage the type of voter intimidation and voting irregularities that we have been hearing about all day. This is a serious matter and we are very concerned."

Vote Time Extended in Haiti Election (AP)

2006-02-07T12:57:00.000-05:00

PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti Polling stations opened late - or not at all - and scuffles broke out Tuesday as Haitians cast ballots in the first presidential election since a bloody revolt two years ago pushed this bloodied, impoverished nation toward total collapse.

Although polls were scheduled to open at 6 a.m. EST, some did not open until hours later. Because of the organizational problems, voting hours originally set to end at 4 p.m. EST were extended by at least two hours, Rosemond Pradel, the secretary-general of Haiti's nine-member Electoral Council, told The Associated Press.

He did not give a new closing time but said there were no plans to extend voting hours into Wednesday.

A shortage of workers, missing ballots and other problems delayed the opening of some voting stations, including those used by people from Cite Soleil, a volatile shantytown at the northern edge of the capital, Port-au-Prince.

Overall, however, voters formed orderly lines and patiently waited to cast ballots.

"There's some frustration and anger on the voting lines," said David Wimhurst, spokesman for the United Nations, which has 9,000 troops and police trying to maintain order in the troubled nation.

"People have ben waiting several hours now and in some cases they haven't even got inside."

Confusion mars early hours of voting in Haitian elections - Miami Herald

2006-02-07T12:49:00.000-05:00

PORT-AU-PRINCE - Confusion and frustration mounted during the first hours of Haiti's national election today as masses of voters set out before dawn to cast their ballots but found many polling places disorganized and unable to open on time.

Haitian electoral officials and U.N. advisors said they were scrambling to fix the problems but described them as isolated. ''We are in control of the situation,'' electoral council spokesman Stephen Lecroix told a news conference.

But at one of three polling centers that serves the volatile slum of Cité Soleil -- a place where electoral officials and U.N advisors have repeatedly assured wary voters and observers that they were prepared -- supervisors were woefully unprepared.

By 6 A.M. when the center was supposed to open, an estimated 3,000 people had lined up. They continued to arrive by the hundreds, marching excitedly and jogging. An hour later there were at least 5,000 lined up a half-mile back.

Most said said they were there to vote for Réne Préval, a former president and one-time protege of ousted President Jean-Bertrand Aristide. Préval has become a symbol of hope in the bullet-pocked slums where Aristide once had strong support.

The election is the first since Aristide fled the country in the face of an armed rebellion in 2004. Haitians and foreign observers alike are hoping it will deliver the country from the ensuing two years of bloodshed and instability.

But inside the polling station, the manager said he didn't have enough tables to start the voting. Outside, people began to push forward, wondering if it would open.

By 7:30 A.M., a group of unknown agitators began to whip the crowd into a fury, saying the government was trying to prevent the poor from voting.

''They don't want you to vote! They don't want you to vote!'' one shouted.

The front of the line turned into a mass at the metal gate of the voting center, slamming it and demanding to get in. When the gate was opened to let a car in, the group stampeded inside, trampling at least two women and creating pandemonium.

The orderly line fell apart as voters could see the chaos ahead of them. Some of the crowd launched a protest, running up the main boulevard and chasing away police and three jeeps of U.N. peacekeepers.

''This is a make-believe election,'' said Robert Bonnet, 36. ``This is organized for the bourgeoisie to vote. This is not an election for the people to vote.''

As protesters reached the headquarters of the Haitian electoral council the top U.S. diplomat in Haiti, Charge d'Affairs Tim Carney, stopped by.

Carney said the confusion was isolated to parts of the capital.

Crowds storm voting centers in Haiti; one dead (AFP)

2006-02-07T12:42:00.000-05:00

PORT-AU-PRINCE (AFP) - Haiti's elections have got off to a tense start, with one person reportedly asphyxiated and another wounded as crowds stormed voting centers that failed to open on time. A 65-year-old man died of asphyxiation on Tuesday as crowds rushed the gate of a voting center in the Petionville suburb of Port-au-Prince, Radio Caraibes reported. At another voting center in the capital, a woman suffered burns as she fell over the hot exhaust of a police motorcycle as mobs stormed into the building which police desperately tried to keep closed until electoral officials completed preparations. Anger mounted among the massive crowds that showed up early to vote but still faced closed gates two hours after the balloting officially started. Similar situations were reported in other parts of the country. Tension was particularly high around the notoriously violent Cite Soleil slum, where voters voiced their anger chanting "open up, open up." Many voters around the country had to walk for hours to reach the voting centers.

Delays, Confusion Mark National Elections

2006-02-07T12:34:00.000-05:00

Port-au-Prince, February 7, 2006. Reports are streaming into Baker campagin headquarters about voter intimidation, disorganization and confusion at polling places throughout the country. In Fontamare 43, the polling place opened at 12:15. Voters had been waiting in line since before dawn. There are reports that voters used notebooks to cast their vote since the registration lists could not be found.

Widespread Reports of Voter Intimidation, Unrest and Mismanagement (Charles Henri Baker)

2006-02-07T12:06:00.000-05:00

Port-au-Prince, February 7, 2006. Staff at the Baker campaign headquarters are receiving many reports of voter intimidation and election mismanagement throughout the country. Witnesses at numerous polling areas are reporting that many voters are being forced to vote for Lespwa candidates, the party of Rene Preval. Voters are reporting that voting lists at the polling precincts are incomplete, and in some cases, non-existent. At some polling place, voters have been told that they could not vote where they were assigned and are being sent to other polling stations far away. Some polling places have been closed completely because of disorganization. There have been reports of chaotic popular demonstrations in parts of Port-au-Prince; and gunfire and the use of tear gas in different parts of the country. In some cases, campaign monitoring personnel dispatched by the Baker campaign have not been allowed to take up their posts. According to some reports, many voters, because of intimidation and insecurity have gone home without voting. Details to follow.

First Reports from the Polls

2006-02-07T12:05:00.000-05:00

Port-au-Prince, February 7, 2006. According to observers, the lines at polling stations around the country are long and voters are enthusiastic. Voters arrived very early in the morning to take their place and cast their vote in today’s national elections. The polls were scheduled to open at 6 am. Polls officially close at 4 pm, but voters who are in line will be permitted to vote.

Charlito and Marie Florence Vote in Laboule

2006-02-07T12:04:00.000-05:00

Port-au-Prince, February 7, 2006. Charles Henri Baker and his wife, Marie Florence, voted this morning at Lycee Batra-ville near their home in Laboule 12.

The Haitian Flag: In Distress (Charles Henri Baker)

2006-02-07T12:03:00.000-05:00

Port-au-Prince, February 7, 2006. The national flag of Haiti that sits behind Charles Baker’s desk in his Delmas headquarters is upside down. Why? According to Hans Tippenhauer, a senior Baker aide, the upside down flag is an international symbol of distress and Charles Baker uses it to symbolize the plight of Haiti at the present time. Said Tippenhauer, “When ships at sea are in trouble, they set their flag in an upside down position to alert other ships that the ship needs assistance. Haiti is in trouble, and the country needs assistance. Charlito believes this flag, in this position, indicates our current situation. When Charlito is elected President and the prospects for change in Haiti improve, the flag will be restored to its rightful position.”

Charlito To The Haitian People: Thank you (Charles Henri Baker)

2006-02-06T12:37:00.000-05:00

Port-au-Prince, February 6, 2006. In a statement released by his Port-au-Prince campaign headquarters, Independent candidate for President of Haiti, Charles Henri Baker, thanked the Nation for its support during the period of national elections.

Baker said, “I want to thank the Haitian people for their support and for their prayers during this national campaign. It is clear that the Haitian people share a deep love for our country, and they are ready to move forward together to create a better society. For their kind words and warm embraces, I thank them from the bottom of my heart.

I am eager to move forward and take on the challenges facing our Nation. I want to be the President of the “United People of Haiti.” I will work everyday for reconciliation and national dialogue to bring our communities together. We will work with all who want to work with us. Let us come, united, to the table of cooperation, and dedicate ourselves to the hard work ahead. God Bless Haiti and all of its people.”

Baker: God Is My Strength! (Charles Henri Baker)

2006-02-06T12:33:00.000-05:00

Port-au-Prince, February 5, 2006. In a response to question from an international reporter who asked where he got his strength to continue his campaign for President of Haiti, Charles Henry Baker said, “God is my strength. I am just one man who cares deeply about his country. This is bigger than one man, or one campaign, or one movement. God gives us the strength and the energy to press on to do what is his Will. With God’s help, we will be successful.”

Charlito Thanks Campaign Volunteers (Charles Henri Baker)

2006-02-06T12:32:00.000-05:00

Port-au-Prince, February 5, 2006. In a meeting with campaign volunteers, Charlito thanked his volunteers for their hard work on the campaign. In an impromptu meeting at the Port-au-Prince headquarters, Charlito told the workers that their efforts would make the difference in Tuesday’s elections and he urged the volunteers to continue their work until the last polling station was closed.

Hundreds Welcome Charles Baker at Final Campaign Rally (Charles Henri Baker)

2006-02-06T12:27:00.000-05:00

Arcahaie, Haiti, February 5, 2006. Charles Henri Baker brought his campaign for the Presidency of Haiti to the coastal town of Arcahaie Sunday afternoon. Charlito walked through the town, accompanied by nearly a hundred singing and dancing townspeople, on the way to a huge rally in the town square. Along the way, Charlito stopped and greeted many people in little shops and in houses. With the background of drummers, residents chanted “Charlito, Charlito, Charlito,” and joyfully sang the campaign songs.

In his remarks, Charlito said that he was a candidate for President of Haiti because no one else had stepped forth to offer a plan for Haiti’s future. He said that wanted to restore the country’s pride and greatness and would do so with the people’s help. He said that the people of Haiti deserved better roads, and schools and health care and that he would work to provide reliable electricity, water supply and jobs. In response to a question from a man in the crowd, Charlito said that agriculture must be a priority for Haiti. He said that he would ensure that there was an large and effective Ministry of Agriculture that would help provide information, inputs and financing for Haiti’s farmers. Charlito said that he could not come back to the town and he would not be able to look the people of the town in the eyes, if there was no improvement in their lives. He declared that he would return to the town, that he would look the people in the eyes, and that they would celebrate their progress together. The crowd numbering over a thousand cheered wildly.

Charlito Caravan Excites Voters Along the Coast (Charles Henri Baker)

2006-02-06T12:25:00.000-05:00

Along the Coast Road, February 5, 2006. In a final campaign swing, Charles Henri Baker visited dozens of small markets and houses along the coast road 50 kilometers outside Port-au-Prince. Many people cheered Charlito as walked through the markets and shook hands with the local residents. People waved and cheered from the side of the road as Baker’s campaign rolled on to a final campaign stop in Archaie. Haiti’s national elections will be held Tuesday, February 7, 2006.

Cheering Crowds Greet Charlito in Lully (Charles Henri Baker)

2006-02-06T12:04:00.000-05:00

Lully, Haiti, February 5, 2006. Many hundreds of cheering supporters greeted Charlito as he visited the coastal community of Lully Sunday afternoon on the final day of his campaign for President of the Republic of Haiti. Scores of villages met Charlito as his caravan arrived from Port-au-Prince. Men, women, boys and girls sang and danced as they escorted Charlito through the village and to a central square where he spoke to hundreds of Lully residents. In his remarks, Charlito told the crowd that the state should serve the people of Haiti, and that as President he would demand accountability from all parts of the government. He said that he would support the development of youth sports program so that Haiti’s young people would have an opportunity to become great athletes. He said that Haiti had some of the finest soccer players in the world, yet they did not have the same opportunities to play as did the players of other countries, such as Brazil. He said that he would support the establishment of hospitals, schools and universities, along with programs to help villagers buy boats and inputs for local agriculture.

Thousands Greet Charlito in Canape Vert (Charles Henri Baker)

2006-02-04T19:25:00.000-05:00

Thousands of supporters cheered Charles Henri Baker, Independent candidate for President, at a huge Saturday afternoon rally in Canape Vert. Charlito was greeted by scores of singers and dancers as he entered the town square for one of his last campaign rallies before the February 7th election day. Before his address, Charlito held Haiti's flag aloft, and joined in as the crowd proudly sang the National Anthem of Haiti.

In his remarks, Charlito told his supporters about the people he had met throughout Haiti during his campaign for the Presidency and their common desire for peace and prosperity. He reiterated his pledge to serve all of the people of Haiti, and to work tirelessly for a society where all Haitians could life safely and prosper.

Charlito said, "Our campaign has adopted the motto “Law – Disciple – Order – Respect.” We honor LAW because it strengthens our society and protects the weakest among us. We honor DISCIPLINE because our collective efforts must be joined and organized smartly and effectively for our common goals. We honor ORDER because it permits our people to live their lives, free from gangs, free from bullies, free from kidnappings, free from murder, free from the type of terror that has become all too common in our beloved Haiti. We honor RESPECT because we believe that all Haitians are God’s Children, that they have value and that all must be treated fairly and equally. This motto inspires this campaign and it will inspire our government."

Press Conference - Sunday, February 5, 2006 @ noon (Charles Henri Baker)

2006-02-04T14:24:00.000-05:00

Charles Henri Baker, Independent candidate for President of Haiti, will meet the press at 12 noon, Sunday, February 5, 2006. The press conference will be held at Baker Campaign Headquarters, Delmas 83, 14. Telephone 246-8198.

Small Contributors Fuel Baker Campaign (Charles Henri Baker)

2006-02-04T13:46:00.000-05:00

Port-au-Prince--According to campaign advisors to Charles Henry Baker, Independent candidate for President of Haiti, the campaign has received thousands of small contributions from supporters around the country. Hans Tippenhauer, campaign advisor said, “We are very thankful for many contributions that we have received from people throughout Haiti. Many contributions, some as small as 2 gourdes, have flowed into our campaign. Just today, we received contributions from some local store workers in Port-au-Prince. They gave what they could—2, 3, 5 gourdes. People believe in Charlito. They know he is a man they can trust to do the right thing for Haiti.”

Rally Today in Canape-Vert (Charles Henri Baker)

2006-02-04T13:45:00.000-05:00

Port-au-Prince--Charles Henri Baker, independent candidate for President of Haiti, will address supporters at a rally in Canape-Vert at 3 p.m. All are invited.

New Radio Poll Gives Baker 44% of Vote (Charles Henri Baker)

2006-02-03T18:40:00.000-05:00

Port-au-Prince—According to a poll taken Saturday afternoon,
support for independent candidate Charles Henri Baker is
growing rapidly among Haitian votes. Forty four percent of
callers to a local Port-au-Prince radio stations said that they
would vote for independent candidate for President, Charles
Henri Baker in Tuesday’s national election. The poll was
conducted by radio station Signal FM.

Election Excitement Growing in Haiti (Charles Henri Baker)

2006-02-03T18:33:00.001-05:00

Port au Prince—Excitement is building for Tuesday’s national
elections, according to campaign advisors for presidential
candidate According to Hans Tippenhauer, a Baker campaign
advisor,”We have seen a significant increase in popular support
for our campaign in recent weeks. Our crowds are definitely
larger, and their enthusiasm is very, very encouraging. We
expect a large turnout on Tuesday. That will be good for
Charlito and the people who support him.” Tippenhauer
said, “This afternoon, we saw many people waiting outside the
Provisional Electoral Council offices. They were trying to get
their election cards so they could vote. There is a lot of
excitement among the people of Port au Prince.”

Baker Victory Offers Hopeful Future for Haiti (Charles Henri Baker)

2006-02-03T18:33:00.000-05:00

Port-au-Prince—Tuesday’s elections offer a historic opportunity
for Haiti to choose a hopeful path for the future, according to a
senior campaign aide for Charles Henri Baker, an independent
candidate for President of Haiti. Patrick Gardere, the director
of the Baker campaign, said, “Voters in Haiti want positive
change in their daily lives, and that’s what they get with
Charles Baker. Charlito talks about a new path, a new way, a
new Haiti, and people all around the country are responding to
that. The people are telling us that they want a new Haiti that
will move forward in peace, security and prosperity. They are
telling us that Haiti needs a new leader, and Charlito is that
person. Haiti needs someone who has the strength and
courage to lead, and the character to stand up to the forces
that are trying to divide this country. Tuesday elections can be
the beginning of that road to a better society,” said Gardere.

Baker Sees Strong Support in Cap Haitien, Port-de Paix, and Nord Ouest (Charles Henri Baker)

2006-02-03T18:31:00.003-05:00

Campaign staff of independent candidate for President, Charles
Henri Baker, reported that support for their campaign is very
strong in Cap Haitien, Port-de Paix, and other towns in Nord
Ouest. “There were very large crowds of Charlito supporters
throughout our recent campaign swing in Nord Ouest," said
David Turnier, a Baker campaign aide. "Voters in Port-de Paix
turned out in large numbers and were very happy to meet and talk
to Mr. Baker, as he walked through the town. There were so many children, yelling 'Charlito, Charlito, Charlito!' It was very exciting."

At last, a bridge of sorts to the future Feb 2nd 2006 | PORT-AU-PRINCE

2006-02-02T23:20:00.000-05:00

At last, a bridge of sorts to the future

Feb 2nd 2006 PORT-AU-PRINCE
From The Economist print edition

A belated and perhaps chaotic milestone in an ill-starred international effort to create a democracy out of a failed state

THE streets of Port-au-Prince are decked out in campaign bunting. But there is little sign of many of the 34 candidates, either because they lack money or are scared of street violence. Even so, almost two years after a ragtag group of armed rebels precipitated the ousting of Jean-Bertrand Aristide as Haiti's president, the poorest and most chaotic country in the Americas is inching towards a presidential election. The vote, due on February 7th, is long overdue. It is taking place under the auspices of the United Nations and its force of 9,000 peacekeeping troops and police, but has been postponed four times.

If it goes ahead smoothly, the election looks set to be won by René Préval, a former president and once a close ally of Mr Aristide, a populist ex-priest who is now in exile in South Africa. That has led some Haitians to see sinister motives behind the postponements. Mr Aristide still protests bitterly at his removal from Haiti as American marines and French paratroops flew in, ostensibly to prevent a bloodbath, as the rebels marched on the capital.

In fact the delay appears to stem from the difficulty of organising a free and fair election in Haiti. Despite the UN's efforts, the country remains economically devastated. Large areas of the capital are racked by violence, crime and kidnapping.

The United States and the European Union have put up most of the money for identity cards for the 3.5m voters—the first-ever attempt to create a reliable electoral register. Gerardo Le Chevallier, an experienced Salvadorean who heads the UN's electoral team in Haiti, is confident of a fairly peaceful vote. Turnout may be low. But so it was when Mr Préval was elected in 1995—and it was even lower when Mr Aristide won a second term in 2000 in an election boycotted by the opposition.

To prevent fraud and ensure security, the UN persuaded local electoral officials to cut the number of voting centres by half, to 803. Some fear this may generate crowds and confusion. Some voters will have to walk for miles. Logistics are “very difficult”, concedes Mr Le Chevallier. His request to the United States for the loan of extra helicopters was turned down, so he has hired 280 mules to collect ballots from remote areas. That may delay the count.

Few Haitians seem optimistic that the election will mark a change in their fortunes. After decades of dictatorship, Mr Aristide's election inspired hope. He was overthrown by a coup in 1991; three years later, Bill Clinton sent 20,000 American troops to restore him to power. But Mr Aristide became increasingly despotic, relying on thuggish gangs to enforce his rule. Political instability and violence have conspired against economic development. Annual income per head is $390—less than it was in 1955 allowing for inflation.

The elections are taking place against a background of rising violence. Most of this appears to be non-political. It is concentrated in Cité Soleil, a vast and lawless slum between the airport and the centre of Port-au-Prince. The slum is a stronghold of gangs once loyal to Mr Aristide. The gangs have rendered the main highway, which runs nearby, unusable. That in turn has forced several local factories to close, with the loss of thousands of jobs.

Each day brings reports of looted businesses, kidnappings and killings. More than 1,500 people, including 78 local police and nine UN peacekeepers, have been killed since Mr Aristide's fall. Last December alone, two health posts run by Médecins Sans Frontières, a French charity, treated more than 220 gunshot victims. Nearly half were children, women or elderly. There were 247 reported kidnappings in December in Port-au-Prince.

“Our country is being wrecked,” says Charles Baker, a factory owner and a presidential candidate supported by business groups which led street protests that helped to bring down Mr Aristide. He blames the UN for not doing more against the gangs. Residents of Cité Soleil disagree. “We have nothing to eat or drink, and the UN is shooting at us,” said one. “They coop us up here and treat us like wild beasts.”

The UN troops are under constant fire from the gangs. The mission, led by Brazil and Chile, has been hampered from the start by lack of money, men and equipment. Juan Gabriel Valdés, the mission's head, says he needs armoured helicopters, night-vision goggles and radios for the troops, as well as money for social projects in the slums. He has resisted calls for operations in Cité Soleil of a kind that would cause large-scale civilian casualties.

Security has improved outside Port-au-Prince, allowing campaign rallies, though these are brief affairs with many bodyguards attending. Mr Préval has made the running, with 37% of the vote in the only credible opinion poll. “We need investment and jobs and for that we need peace,” he told a rally in St Marc, north-west of the capital. He promises universal primary education and better health care.

The poll put Mr Baker second, but with only 10%. He wants to restore the army, disbanded by Mr Aristide. He accuses Mr Préval of being Mr Aristide's “puppet”. Yet there is much evidence that the two fell out. Mr Préval's supporters accuse Mr Aristide of undermining his government, and of being behind the murder of two of his closest friends. Under Mr Aristide, “there was a lot of corruption,” says Mr Préval. Some of those responsible now face drugs charges in the United States.

If Mr Préval wins, as seems likely, he would at least enjoy legitimacy, which might give Haiti an opportunity to turn the corner. But if it is to seize the opportunity, the country will need continuing support from the outside world—preferably on a greater scale than it has received so far.

Peace Promised During Haiti's Elections By STEVENSON JACOBS

2006-02-02T23:11:00.000-05:00

Peace Promised During Haiti's Elections
By STEVENSON JACOBS
The Associated Press
Thursday, February 2, 2006; 8:48 PM

PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti -- U.N. and Haitian authorities pledged Thursday to prevent violence from disrupting next week's elections, as an aid agency warned that fighting inside gang-controlled slums threatens to scare people away from the polls.Lt. Gen. Jose Elito Carvalho de Siqueira, the commander of U.N. peacekeepers, said international troops and police will work with Haitian authorities to make sure people can vote in the first election since a rebellion forced the ouster of President Jean-Bertrand Aristide nearly two years ago."All the voting points around the country will be safe for the vote," Elito told reporters.About 85 percent of Haiti's 4.5 million eligible voters have registered to choose a new president and legislature in Tuesday's vote to replace the interim government imposed after Aristide's ouster.Fears of violence have been stoked by clashes between peacekeepers and heavily armed gangs _ especially around Cite Soleil, a slum that is home to some 200,000 people at the northern edge of the capital.Elito said a rapid reaction force of soldiers and police would respond to disturbances."In five to 10 minutes, we'll be there in any case (of violence)," the general said.Interim Prime Minister Gerard Latortue promised a tough response to anyone trying to disrupt voting."We will be very firm with those who might come to disturb the good behavior of the polls," Latortue said.The British aid group Oxfam said violence in Cite Soleil and other areas was discouraging Haitians from voting next week, and called on the international community to work toward reducing the estimated 210,000 of guns in circulation in Haiti."Many residents of Port-au-Prince have told us they are too scared to make the journey to vote on Tuesday," said Yolette Etienne, an Oxfam representative in Haiti.
© 2006 The Associated Press

Welcome to Charlito News! (Charles Henri Baker)

2006-01-29T20:26:00.000-05:00

The purpose of this blog is to disseminate information about the Presidential campaign of Charles Henri Baker and the 2006 elections in Haiti.