Protests grow over Haiti vote rigging claims - Summary

Wed, 08 Dec 2010

Port-au-Prince - Thousands of angry Haitians went on a rampage in capital Port-au-Prince and other cities, burning tires, looting stores and setting fire to offices of the governing party over widespread allegations of vote rigging in last month's elections.

The demonstrations started shortly after preliminary election results were announced late Tuesday and escalated through Wednesday. The initial results from the crucial November 28 elections gave a narrow lead to ruling party candidate Jude Celestin over popular musician Michael Martelly for second place in January's runoff.

Former first lady Mirlande Manigat received 31.37 per cent of the vote, according to the electoral commission results, and will face Celestin, who received 22.48 per cent. Martelly got 21.89 per cent of votes, despite recent polls suggesting he would defeat Celestin, the protege of outgoing President Rene Preval.

Three people were reportedly killed in the protests, as the United Nations and Organization of American States (OAS) called for calm.

"This will not simplify the situation," said one witness to the violence. "It is a total rebellion against the government."

Protesters set fire across the country to headquarters and offices of Preval's Inite party. They tore and burned Celestin's election posters. Thick, black plumes of smoke spiraled above the earthquake- shattered skyline of the capital city, as gun shots echoed through the streets.

In Port-au-Prince, crowds gathered outside the headquarters of the Provisional Electoral Council chanting, "We want Michel Martelly" and "We want our rights."

American Airlines canceled its six daily flights to and from Port-au-Prince on Wednesday and Thursday "due to the inability of airport and airline employees as well as passengers to get to and from the airport," a company statement said.

In New York, UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon expressed concerns about the allegations of fraud and subsequent violence. He reminded all the candidates "that they have a personal responsibility to encourage their supporters to remain calm and to stop violence."

Jose Miguel Insulza, OAS secretary general, noted that the results were just a "provisional count." He said the OAS observation mission would "closely monitor" the process in the coming weeks in which candidates can challenge election results.

The US embassy in Port-au-Prince urged Haitians to "express themselves peacefully."

"The 2010 elections represent a critical test of whether the Haitian people will determine their destiny through their vote, and it would be regrettable that violence would mar this process," the embassy said in a statement.

The United States was concerned that the preliminary results were "inconsistent" with the published results of the National Election Observation Council (CNO), which had more than 5,500 observers and observed the vote count in 1,600 voting centers nationwide, the embassy said.

Responding to a question about Preval's alleged accusations that that US was partly responsible for the rioting because of its criticism of the election, US State Department spokesman PJ Crowley said: "The United States is in no way responsible for the actions of any individual."

He told reporters in Washington, "We are determined to help Haiti achieve a credible election and a result - not one that the United States will impose, but one that the people of Haiti can participate in fully and that the government that emerges reflects the will of the Haiti people and will have the legitimacy and support necessary to move the country forward."

There were hopes that the election would yield a fresh and stable leadership for Haiti, to aid the impoverished country's reconstruction process as it struggles to emerge from the rubble of January's devastating earthquake, which killed close to 230,000 people, and a raging cholera epidemic that has left more than 2,100 dead.

Source: Earth Times.
Link: http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/news/357270,rigging-claims-summary.html.