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Violence erupts following Haitian election results

0 CommentsPrint E-mail CNTV, December 10, 2010
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Haiti's capital Port Au Prince is once again wracked with violent protests following the release of preliminary election results. Protestors supporting the 3rd placed, and potentially eliminated, Presidential candidate Michel Martelly took to the streets in their thousands.

 

This is normally one of the Haitian capital's busiest streets but there is no normal left in this country.

The only traffic comes on foot and it is loud and angry - an election they say has been stolen.

Fires rage some small, some larger. Anything that is linked to the government candidates is burned or beaten.

One protester rope in hand wants to hang the President and his hand picked successors.

Nathan King from Port Au Prince, Haiti, said, "As well as the marching, there is the frustrations that Martelly came third in this round. Everyone knows here that they voted for him. And the only way they can express their frustration is to basically set things alight and say we are here and we demand that our votes be counted."

Protester Carlos said, "this country, you know, we say enough. And we die in misery. Young people they have to walk on the streets to get some money and the little girls have to have sex, whatever their age, to have some money. That's why tomorrow we gonna fight, big fight against Preval. If we don't receive the results today, tomorrow they'll be a big fight."

This may look like a mob but it isn't, just a people fed up that the only thing they had left, their votes, may have been compromised.

The poorest of the poor burn their own neighborhoods. This destruction is taking Haiti further backwards from its already impoverished state. And while this stand off continues no development aid is coming in. Few charities able to help the sick and the poor under these conditions. The Young and the not so young say only a political outsider can deliver for the poor."

Violence however does erupt when protesters meet UN troops, who fire back. This battle occurred as protesters tried to attack the electoral buildings. Tear gas canisters fired, shots too. Haitians are angry at the UN who may well have introduced Cholera to this country, even before that these troops were regarded as occupiers by many."

But the International community are now raising questions about the election results. The UN who had backed election day polling now less sure. They are are also appealing for calm - so long as tensions run high there is little chance of that .

Haiti's election may not yet have a winner, but the losers are everywhere to see.

 

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