Democracy News

Haiti Announces Presidential Run-Off Candidates
February 4, 2011
By: Chinyelu Odunze | Printer Friendly

On Thursday, after a night of deliberations, Haiti's electoral commission announced that Haiti's presidential run-off will be between former First Lady Mirlande Manigat and popular singer Michel Martelly. 

Since the November 28 first-round vote, the Haitian government and international experts have been discussing their options in the aftermath of a disputed presidential election. 

The run-off vote should have taken place on January 16, but it was postponed due to disputes about who the top two vote-getters were.

According to the BBC News, former first lady Mirlande Manigat won the first round in November.  In December, Haiti's Electoral Council declared that Celestin finished second, while Martelly came in third place. 

The results provoked violent protests by supporters of Martelly because they believed that fraud and election misconduct cost Martelly the election.

Consequently, the Organization of American States (OAS) investigated allegations of fraud and election misconduct.  Following the investigation, an OAS leaked report revealed that Martelly actually won more votes than Celestin. 

Mr. Celestin was the preferred candidate of current President René Preval. 

The current president’s term officially ended February 7, but he has parliamentary authorization to stay in office until May. 

Whoever wins the presidency will have the daunting task of rebuilding Haiti after the devastating earthquake that killed more than 200,000 people, left millions homeless and left the capital, Port-au-Prince in ruins.  The country has also been ravaged by a cholera epidemic that has killed more than 3,700 people.

Sources:
BBC News – Haiti’s Presidential Run- off Candidates Announced

BBC News - Haiti Waits for Election Decision

BBC News - OAS to Give Haiti Presidential Election Verdict

Reuters - OAS Experts Challenge Haiti Election Result: Report