27543: Craig (news) Haitians cast votes amid hitches (fwd)

[Bob Corbett <corbetre@webster.edu>]

From: Dan Craig


Haitians cast votes amid hitches
Haiti's first election since former President Jean-Bertrand Aristide was ousted 
in February 2004 has been marred by angry demonstrations in the capital.
Published: 2006/02/08 02:34:36 GMT

Polls closed after voting was extended following some polling stations in the 
capital's failure to open on time, which lead to shoving and stampedes.

Voters were choosing a new president, as well as a 129-member parliament.

The front-runners are Rene Preval, a former ally of Mr Aristide, and Charles 
Henry Baker, a businessman.

Officials results are expected on Friday.

Crushes

When polling stations failed to open, angry voters tried to force their way in. 
At least one man was reported to have died in the crush in a Port-au-Prince 
district, and several others were injured.

Some protesters claimed the delays were part of a concerted attempt to stop 
people in poor areas from voting for Mr Preval.

he electoral authorities denied this, and appealed for calm.

Rene Lucas, from the impoverished slum of Cite Soleil, said: "If we are not 
able to vote today we will be in a state of crisis for the next five years".

Thousands of armed UN troops were deployed to watch over the election process, 
which has been delayed several times.

Despite the presence of peacekeepers, the country has continued to be blighted 
by political and criminal violence and instability.

Long wait

Former President Preval, 63, is a long-time ally of Mr Aristide who is popular 
with the poor.

Mr Baker and former President Leslie Manigat are considered his closest rivals.

Some of Haiti's 3.5 million registered voters live some way from a polling 
station.

Auxilien Jean Dieudonna, waiting at a polling station in Port-au-Prince, told 
the BBC that he had left his house in the mountains at midnight and walked for 
more than four hours to take part.

"I came to vote for my charismatic leader [Rene Preval] so that he can run my 
country," he said.

If none of the candidates achieves a 50% majority first time round, the two 
best-placed candidates will compete in a run-off.

Aristide return?

Mr Aristide was first elected in 1990, but within a year he was overthrown, and 
replaced by a succession of military governments.

The US, backed by the UN, intervened in 1994 to restore order.

In the elections that followed Mr Aristide was barred from standing, but Mr 
Preval, his close ally, took nearly 90% of the vote.

Mr Aristide later returned to power, but with allegations of corruption and 
vote-rigging accompanied by increasing instability and violence, he took a US 
flight in early 2004 to South Africa, where he remains in exile.

Mr Preval has told the BBC that Mr Aristide may return if he wishes, but that 
he will not tolerate the violent groups that pledge him allegiance.

Wealthier Haitians have expressed disquiet at the possibility of a president 
with echoes of Mr Aristide.

Story from BBC NEWS:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/1/hi/world/americas/4687856.stm
© BBC MMVI