ARTICLE - HAITI AWAITS RESULTS

HAITI AWAITS PRESIDENTIAL RESULTS
(Miami Herald) - By Jacqueline Charles

PORT-AU-PRINCE -- Haiti's rumor mill continued to work overtime Tuesday as the tension-filled nation awaited the preliminary results of last Sunday's presidential and legislative balloting.


Meanwhile, the United Nations peacekeeping mission refuted claims by opposition presidential candidates, who say they have a video showing involvement in ballot tampering. ``Contrary to what has been said at any time that video does not show anyone trying to manipulate ballots,'' the U.N. peacekeeping mission said in a statement.

Continuing its call for calm and patience, the peacekeeping mission and the Haitian National police Tuesday remained on alert for possible violence.

Some worried that a first round win -- or elimination of President René Préval's pick, Jude Célestin -- could spark violence among different groups.

``If they hear Jude is [the winner] in the first round, the country will erupt,'' said Sen. Youri Latortue, an opponent of Préval who held protests in the Artibonite rally last week and is supporting Mirlande Manigat, a former first lady who is expected to be among the top vote getters. ``The people will go out into the streets. They have to see that Jude doesn't have the popular vote. The people don't think anyone won in the first round.''

Michel Martelly, a popular Haitian musician known as ``Sweet Micky,'' also warned that his supporters would take to the streets not only if results show Célestin winning in the first round but if he himself were eliminated from a runoff.

Martelly accused Préval and his supporters of trying to put Célestin in power contrary to what the people want.

``Their vote must be respected,'' Martelly, 49. ``We will not remain with our mouths closed if the results do not reflect the choice of the people.''

He later added: ``Mr. Jude Célestin remains a very unpopular candidate.''

Both Martelly and Manigat initially asked that the Sunday election be annulled, joining 10 other presidential candidates who accused Préval's INITE (UNITY) coalition of massive fraud. But after learning they appeared to be leading in the balloting, they went back on their position -- though Manigat told The Miami Herald she would await the preliminary results.

Still, a number of opposition candidates continue to call for a cancellation of the elections, saying it was fraught with fraud. That's the conclusion of the National Network for the Defense of Human Rights, a group that deployed national and international observers throughout Haiti on election day.

In a recent report on the election irregularities, the group said, ``The mess was inevitable because the atmosphere lent itself to all sorts of abuses, acts of violence and vandalism.'' Among the problems it detailed were lack of involvement by U.N. peacekeepers, polling station security guards openly campaigning ``for their candidates of choice,'' or even taking part in the counting of ballots.

It said Préval's INITE coalition led the list in incidents of alleged ballot stuffing and voter intimidation at the polls, but was not alone. Supporters of other political parties were just as complicit -- and in some communities stood side by side with INITE supporters as they stuffed ballots on behalf of their candidates, it said.

``Across the country, individual voters voted several times, with the complicity of members of the polling stations,'' the report said.

Some international observers who have visited a Port-au-Prince tabulation center and observed the problematic tally sheets said all parties face losing votes due to `good old Haitian cheating.''

Célestin, 48, refutes claims that there was a ``systematic attempt'' on the part of INITE to rig the election on his behalf. He said while it's up to electoral officials to determine irregularities if there are any, the coalition campaigned hard for him and its 103 legislative candidates -- especially in rural areas.

Opponents, he said, focused most of their campaigning on the big cities, while INITE worked its network of local officials to reach voters in the rural outskirts.

Asked whether he felt the elections were fair, he said, ``fair enough. I will wait for the results to see what they reflect.''