No menu items!

COSTA RICA'S LEADING ENGLISH LANGUAGE NEWSPAPER

HomeTopicsGlobalHaiti postpones presidential runoff vote

Haiti postpones presidential runoff vote

PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti – Haiti has pushed back next week’s presidential runoff vote, election officials said Monday, without immediately announcing a new date.

The runoff had been scheduled for Dec. 27, after an Oct. 25 first-round vote marred by allegations of massive voter fraud.

The runoff was to pit Jovenel Moïse — backed by outgoing president Michel Martelly and the ruling party — against Jude Célestin, the second-place vote-getter from more than 50 contenders in the first round of balloting.

Haiti elections protest
Héctor Retamal/AFP

The October presidential election was the latest attempt in the Americas’ poorest country to shed chronic political instability and work toward development.

But reporting of the election results — and now, the staging of the runoff vote — has been plagued with delays and beset by protests alleging official corruption.

Moïse won 32.8 percent of the first-round balloting and Célestin took 25.3 percent, the federal election commission said.

Moïse is a businessman and political novice who until now worked in agriculture, mainly growing bananas. His nickname during the campaign was “the banana man.”

Célestin, making his second bid for the Haitian presidency, was disqualified from the second round in the 2010 election vote following a recount by the Organization of American States. This time, he had been considered the frontrunner.

He is supported by Haitian-born hip-hop star Wyclef Jean, who produced a new reggae song in favor of Célestin ahead of the first-round vote, the Miami Herald reported.

The first round of voting was relatively peaceful, in contrast to violence during August legislative elections that left two people dead.

Haiti is still struggling to recover from a devastating 2010 earthquake that killed more than 250,000 people and crippled the nation’s infrastructure.

Haiti elections protest
Héctor Retamal/AFP

Popular Articles

Veteran’s Failed Hijacking of Tropic Air Cessna in Belize

An United States citizen armed with a knife attempted to hijack a small plane in Belize this Thursday but was shot dead by a...

Pope Francis Passes Away at 88, Leaving Legacy of Compassion

The Vatican announced the passing of Pope Francis, the first Latin American pope today at 7:35 a.m. (5:35 a.m. GMT). He was 88. The...

VIDEO: Poás Volcano Erupts with 3.5 km Ash Plume, OVSICORI Reports

This morning at approximately 5:15 a.m., Poás Volcano erupted yet again, producing a significant ash plume that soared 3.5 kilometers above the crater, according...
spot_img
Costa Rica Tours
Costa Rica Coffee Maker Chorreador
Costa Rica Coffee Maker Chorreador
Costa Rica Travel Insurance
Costa Rica Rocking Chait

Latest Articles