Home> World
Haiti to hold presidential runoff
February-4-2011

Haiti's presidential runoff election will be contested between Mirlande Manigat and Michel Martelly in March, and Jude Celestin, candidate of Haiti's ruling Inite (Unity) Party, was out, the Provisional Electoral Council (CEP) said on Thursday.

"We have worked according to the formula and we are presenting a final statement with the results," CEP President Gaillot Dorsainvil said while announcing the results of presidential vote recount.

Chief of the United Nations Stabilization Mission in Haiti Edmond Mulet later told the press that "the end of this stage should finish with a period of more than two months of uncertainty for the Haitian people."

Jose Miguel Insulza, general secretary of the Organization of American States (OAS), said in Washington that Haitians should "calmly receive the results announced today (Thursday) and participate with trust in the elections" to be held on March 20.

Despite the adversity of the January 2010 earthquake, Haiti has proved its "civic and democratic will," Insulza said, adding that he would continue his work to aid the Haitian authorities to prepare and hold the second round of elections.

Haiti held its first round of presidential elections on Nov. 28 last year. According to preliminary results released by the CEP, Manigat from the National Gathering of Progressive Democrats took first place with 31.37 percent of the vote, Celestin ranked second with 22.48 percent and Martelly ran third.

However, most candidates denounced an electoral fraud and the international community questioned the transparency of the process, which sparked many protests in the country, leaving at least six people dead.

In January, OAS verified the electoral process and presented a report saying that Manigat won the first round with 31.6 percent of the vote, Martelly came in second with 22.2 percent and Celestin had 21.9 percent.

At the end of January, Inite's deputy and senator candidates urged Celestin to quit and demanded Haitian President Rene Preval accept the report presented by the OAS, which suggested that Celestin pull out of the election race.

According to the Haitian Constitution, Feb. 7 is the established date for the presidential power transfer.

However, due to the damages caused by the earthquake in January 2010, the Senate extended Preval's term by three months.

On March 20, Haitians will choose a president between 70-year-old former first lady Manigat and 49-year-old famous singer Martelly.