Candidates want Haiti elections declared null and void
PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti — Thousands of persons took to the streets here last night, burning down voting bureaus and supporting calls from 12 presidential elections that the presidential and legislative council polls be declared null and void.
The protestors took to the streets to rally against what they believed was widespread fraud including pre-stuffed ballots and their names missing from the voters’ list.
The 12 presidential candidates yesterday called for the elections to be declared null and void following allegations of ballot tampering.
The disgruntled candidates met behind closed doors following allegations of fraud.
Presidential front runner Mirlande Manigat joined her colleagues in asking the Provisional Electoral Council to scrap the poll due to widespread irregularities.
The formal announcement came from Josette Bijoux during a press conference shortly after 2:00pm local time.
The candidates were met with rousing applause and shouts of “arreta Preval” or “arrest Preval”.
Bijoux was flanked by 11 of her opponents.
The candidates have charged that the alleged ballot tampering was orchestrated to favour Jude Celistin of the ruling Inite party.
Fearing that they may be disenfranchised, annoyed voters voiced their protest at a polling station in Petionville yesterday.
The mob of voters was held off at the entrance to the polling station as they shouted “we want to vote, let us vote”.
Voters became increasingly anxious as several polling stations failed to open at 6:00 am as scheduled. Some remained closed for more than two hours. The law does not allow for an extension of the voting time.
In the southern city of Jacmel there were violent clashes after voters attempted to leave the polling station with their ballots.
In the early hours yesterday, CMC visited three polling centres in the Petionville area of Port-au-Prince but none was open to voters at that time. Instead, election staff were seen counting ballots and verifying the voters’ list. In one instance, a clerk was still awaiting the arrival of the register of voters.
But even with the prospect of a long wait, many Haitians stayed in line.
“I’m just coming just for my country. I’m voting for my country,” one voter said.
