MONITORS WANT HAITI CANDIDATE OUT: SOURCE
(AFP)
PORT-AU-PRINCE — International monitors are set to call on the ruling party candidate in Haiti's bitterly disputed presidential election to quit the runoff round, a diplomatic source said Monday.
"It will be very difficult for (President Rene) Preval to ignore this recommendation," said the diplomatic source, speaking on condition of anonymity.
If the Preval-backed candidate, Jude Celestin, is pressured to quit the runoff vote, Haiti risks facing a renewal of rioting that claimed five lives after last month's announcement of preliminary results.
The Organization of American States was expected to deliver its much-awaited report to the government on Monday, two days ahead of the first anniversary of a disastrous earthquake.
The diplomat said the report would recommend that popular singer Michel Martelly should go into the runoff in place of Celestin, who, according to official results from the first round, had squeaked into second place with a margin of 7,000 votes.
The second candidate will face the first-placed Mirlande Manigat, a former first lady. The decisive round had been scheduled for January 16, but now is not expected to take place until next month.
The OAS report is to go to Preval, who will take a final decision and delayed announcing definitive results of the first round November 28 polls until the regional bloc's monitors had reached their findings.
The US ambassador, Kenneth Merten, said he hoped everyone in Haiti would "keep a cool head."
Merten said there would be no need for a complete "re-run of the elections" and hoped "the report will shed light and clarity on the electoral process.
"I hope it will reassure the Haitian people that their voice was heard," he added.
The French ambassador, Didier Le Bret, said the OAS mission had been "independent and objective and has investigated with the aim of reaching results that are reliable and reflect reality."
"The international community... hopes that the OAS mission's recommendations, whatever they are, will be followed."
OAS Assistant Secretary General Albert Ramdin would not confirm the contents of the report, but said "I don't think anybody is going to be extremely happy."
He told AFP he expected Preval to respond to the report after a couple of days, likely after the Wednesday earthquake anniversary.
"I think we should give the Haitian authorities some time. But that doesn't mean infinite. We should keep in mind we have an urgency here, to bring clarity to the situation," he said.
"I believe the Haitian authorities will come to the right decision."
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