This Article is From Nov 03, 2015

Haiti Delays Announcement of Presidential Results

Haiti Delays Announcement of Presidential Results

People stand near presidential candidate posters for the upcoming election in Petion Ville, Port-au-Prince, on October 8, 2015. (AFP)

PORT-au-PRINCE: Haiti's provisional electoral council said on Monday that news on presidential vote results had been delayed.

The announcement of preliminary results that was set for today now has been pushed back to Thursday amid reports of irregularities that have to be investigated, the council said in a statement.

Haiti celebrated peaceful elections with high turnout October 25 as the poorest country in the Americas seeks to shed chronic political instability and get back on its feet.

The elections come nearly five years after President Michel Martelly came to power in a country that has failed to find democratic stability since the end of the 30-year Duvalier dictatorship in 1986.

The pop singer and political novice assumed office in 2011, the year after a catastrophic earthquake killed more than 200,000, flattened most buildings in the capital and left hundreds of thousands living on the streets.

Five years on, more than 85,000 people still live in makeshift camps, according to Amnesty International.

And a nagging conflict between the executive branch and the opposition since Martelly came to power delayed the staging of legislative polls for years.

With 54 presidential candidates, a presidential runoff is expected on December 27.

Whoever takes over from Martelly on February 7 will face huge challenges and a humanitarian emergency.

Six million of Haiti's 10 million people live in extreme poverty, getting by on less than $2.50 a day.
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