Haiti appears to be teetering on the brink of a political and social upheaval again. The preliminary results from the small Caribbean nation’s much-delayed presidential election have sparked violent demonstrations in the capital Port-au-Prince, with losing candidates questioning the voting process and thus the victory of Jovenel Moise.
Based on early official results, Moise, a banana exporter backed by former president Michel Martelly, led opposition candidate Jude Celestin from the LAPEH party, with about 55.7 percent of the vote. That means a runoff will be avoided.
Reacting to the preliminary results, Celestin, who won 19.5 percent of the vote, as well as the second and third runner-ups rejected the tally and said they would file challenges. Leftist senator Jean-Charles Moise garnered 11 percent of the vote, and the leader of the Fanmi Lavalas party, Marysse Narcisse, came fourth with 8.9 percent.
Meanwhile, chaos erupted in several poor neighborhoods in Port-au-Prince where supporters of the losing candidates poured out into the streets, alleging massive voting fraud in the November 20th vote. Police forces moved in and fired tear gas to disperse the crowd of protesters who in turn set fire to tires. There were also reports of civil unrest in downtown Malpasse, a town close to the border with the Dominican Republic.
Moise told media right after news of his victory, "I am working hard to be close with the parliament because there's no way a president can work without deputies, without senators."
As his top priorities for strengthening the impoverished country, Moise mentioned plans to boost agriculture, education, energy reform, and foreign investment.
Nearly 6.2 million people were eligible to vote in the Western Hemisphere’s poorest country. Only 21 percent, however, turned out to cast their ballots. Many people showed contempt toward the electoral commission and its voting system, alleging that irregularities had prevented voters from casting their ballots since some polling centers had been relocated.
The Caribbean island nation plunged into turmoil in the wake of the presidential election which was initially held in October 2015. However, the results were thrown out by authorities amid protests and allegations of massive fraud from opponents. A re-run scheduled for October this year was also postponed after Hurricane Matthew struck, killing up to 1,000 people.
The final results will be out on December 29. In the meantime, candidates can challenge the results in electoral courts.
