HAITIAN PRESIDENT CASTS BALLOT IN FIRST-EVER RUN-OFF ELECTION
(Digtriad.com) - By Kelly Heffernan-Tabor
Port-Au-Prince, Haiti -- Outgoing Haitian President Rene Preval cast his ballot on Sunday in Haiti's first-ever presidential run-off, which international donors hope can produce a stable leadership to guide recovery after last year's earthquake.
Preval arrived to his downtown voting center shortly after the polls opened, joining thousands of other Haitians in choosing between former first lady Mirlande Manigat and pop star Michel Martelly.
After casting his ballot, Preval appealed for calm, calling the presidential vote, the first second round run-off in Haiti's electoral history, an important step to consolidate the country's democracy.
"I hope the day will go well, that the results won't have any trouble, so we can have an elected president to replace me," he told reporters.
The election started slowly with delays and missing materials dogging early voting, even in Preval's voting center.
A shipment of ink and additional ballot boxes arrived later in the morning , and the center's supervisor said it was a minor glitch.
"There were small irregularities in three of the voting tables . In one, there was no ink. In another, there was no paper to say which box was for president and which was for representatives and you know that these are simple materials and for this reason we couldn't start on time," said Jeanty Williams.
The initial hitches in the capital Port-au-Prince, which produced anger and frustration among some voters, were a concern for the United Nations and the Organization of American States which had sought improvements to avoid the chaos, and unrest that marred the first round vote held in November.
The small Caribbean state, one of the poorest nations in the world, desperately needs a capable, legitimate leadership and government to steer a post-quake reconstruction that requires billions of dollars of foreign assistance.
There are 4.7 million voters registered in Haiti.
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