Print version Email to a friend

Candidate urges open second-round vote in Haiti

Tue, 14 Dec 2010 20:11 GMT

Source: reuters // Reuters

* Martelly says second round should be open to all

* Urges shake-up of Provisional Electoral Council

* Calls recount of vote tally sheets "a trap"

By Joseph Guyler Delva and Allyn Gaestel

PORT-AU-PRINCE, Dec 14 (Reuters) - The second round of Haiti's presidential election should be open to all 18 candidates rather than a run-off between the two top vote getters in the disputed first round, a leading contender said on Tuesday.

Popular musician Michel Martelly, whose supporters have been involved in violent protests across the poor Caribbean country since the chaotic national elections on Nov. 28, also said the members of Haiti's Provisional Electoral Council (CEP) should be replaced to ensure a fair and democratic outcome to the second round.

"That is the only way to maintain confidence in the electoral process. If that's not done I don't think people can emerge from the next election with legitimacy and respect of the population and the international community," Martelly said.

Preliminary results from the first round released by the CEP on Dec. 7 put former first lady Mirlande Manigat and government technocrat Jude Celestin, a little known protege of outgoing President Rene Preval, in the second round.

But Martelly, whom the council placed narrowly third, less than a percentage point behind Celestin, has rejected the results and accused Preval, Celestin and their ruling Inite (Unity) coalition of rigging the vote.

<^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

Graphic on Haiti elections http://link.reuters.com/gud27q

Factbox on Michel Martelly [ID:nN09242340]

Factbox on Mirlande Manigat [ID:nN0766033]

Factbox on Jude Celestin [ID:nN07289022]

Factbox on Haiti private investment [ID:nN07111744]

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^>

His call for a do-over came during a news conference at his home on Tuesday, sowing new confusion about a process that was funded and backed by the international community as a step toward hoped-for stability for the Western Hemisphere's poorest state, which is struggling to rebuild after a devastating January earthquake.

'On November 28th fraud was committed against everyone," Martelly said.

"Everyone suffered as fraud was committed against everyone," he added, saying the only fair way to end the contest was to allow all candidates to run again in a sort of free-for-all.

"I propose ... that we organize a second round January 16th with all the candidates so that those in the lead can win," he said.

He did not elaborate except to say that whoever got the most votes should get the top job in Haiti, which was ranked on Tuesday by London-based Jane's Intelligence Review as the third least stable entity in the world in 2010. Only Somalia and Gaza and the West Bank scored worse than Haiti.

For three days last week, thousands of Martelly supporters and other protesters took to the streets in violent unrest that paralyzed the capital Port-au-Prince and several other cities.

At least four people were killed in the turmoil, which disrupted humanitarian operations to fight a raging cholera epidemic.

The protests have died down since last Friday, after the beleaguered CEP announced it was forming a new commission, including foreign observers, to recheck vote tally sheets from the presidential elections.

"FEAR OF FRESH VIOLENCE"

The commission has not yet been formed nor said when its work would get under way, however. And street protests could flare again after Martelly said he would reject any attempt to give the results from Nov. 28 a sense of credibility. Manigat has also rejected the plan to have the vote tally sheets rechecked amid allegations of ballot-stuffing and fraud.

"The votes were never counted so they cannot recount them ,,, It's a trap," Martelly told reporters.

U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton criticized the Haitian government on Monday, saying it needed to do more to help end the election-related crisis.

Speaking in Canada, after a meeting with her Canadian and Mexican counterparts, she said there was a growing frustration in the United States that, a year after the huge earthquake that killed more than 250,000 people, the Haitian government was not responding coherently to the nation's humanitarian, health and economic problems.

"There has to be a greater effort and there has to be a more focused approach toward problem solving," Clinton said.

Her remarks were echoed in a statement by Canadian Foreign Minister Lawrence Cannon, who chaired the meeting and said Haiti remained a grave concern.

"It is essential that Haitian political actors fulfill their responsibilities and demonstrate a firm commitment to democratic principles, including respect for the integrity of the electoral process," Cannon said.

"It is critical that the recounting of ballots be addressed in a timely and transparent manner and that calm be restored to the streets."

There as been no immediate response to the statements from Preval or Haitian electoral authorities. (Writing by Tom Brown; editing by Cynthia Osterman)