Democracy News

Haitian Presidential Election Run-Off Deemed A Success
March 22, 2011
By: Carlos Aramayo | Printer Friendly

The second round of Haiti’s presidential election was deemed an overall success by the Organization of American States (OAS). The run-off vote pitted former First Lady Mirlande Manigat against local musician Michel Martelly. Haitians expect the new president to direct billions of dollars in foreign aid towards badly needed post-earthquake reconstruction efforts. According to the United Nations, some 800,000 people live in tent camps in the capital city of Port-au-Prince and a cholera epidemic that began last fall has continued to spread despite containment efforts. Preliminary results are not expected until March 31 and final results are scheduled to be confirmed on April 16.

The Washington Post reports that the March 20 run-off vote was marked by many of the same problems as those experienced by voters in the first round. Following the first round of voting, 12 of 19 candidates asked for the vote to be annulled due to widespread fraud.

In addition to the OAS, Haiti’s Provisional Electoral Council also deemed the vote successful.  Council President Gaillot Dorsinvil told reporters that irregularities would have “no impact on the electoral process as a whole.” Edmond Mulet, who leads the United Nations’ stabilizing force in the country, echoed Dorsinvil, and said that he saw “a lot of differences compared to November 28, 2010. Participation is great.” International observers cited fraud and irregularities in the first round of the poll.

Opinion polls indicated Martelly was favored to win. Martelly was initially excluded from the run-off until international observers reviewed the first round’s result and recommended that he advance to the second round instead of the ruling party candidate, Jude Celestin. Following an electoral stalemate, in February 2011, United States Secretary of State Hillary Clinton flew to Port-au-Prince to encourage current President René Préval to adopt the OAS international mission’s recommendation. As a result, the country’s Electoral Council dropped Préval-backed candidate Célestin to third in the final first-round tallies, making him ineligible for the run-off vote. He was replaced by Martelly.

The run-off election has been widely perceived as a key step in gaining the confidence of foreign governments that are funding Haiti’s reconstruction process. Much of the billions in funding pledged to help the country rebuild following last year’s earthquake have been delayed because of the electoral crisis. According to the Office of the Special Envoy for Haiti, governments have yet to disperse 70 percent of $4.53 billion pledged in aid programs for Haiti over 2010 and 2011.

UPDATE
On April 4, the New York Times reported that official preliminary results indicated that Martelly won the election in a landslide. In the second round, Martelly achieved victory after receiving 68 percent of the vote. Manigat finished with 32 percent. Official results are scheduled to be confirmed on April 16.

For previous news on Haiti, please see:
Haiti Announces Presidential Run-Off Candidates 

Sources:
Voice of America – Haitians Vote in Presidential Runoff

United Nations Special Envoy for Haiti – International Assistance to Haiti - Key Facts as of February 2011

Washington Post – Observers call Haitian runoff a success

BBC – Counting under way in Haiti's delayed presidential poll