Accessibility links

Breaking News

Haiti Delays Controversial Legislative Vote Results


Haitian officials have delayed the certification of results from last month's runoff legislative elections.

Haiti's electoral commission said Monday that it would hold off on publishing the results for 19 legislative races "for the sake of transparency and in the best interests of the nation."

Last week, the government reversed the outcomes of 18 legislative races in final results. The United Nations and major donor nations to Haiti, including the United States, have questioned whether there was fraud in the final results. The U.S. embassy in Port-au-Prince has said it found no explanation for the reversals and that the incumbent party benefited from those reversals in all but two cases.

The new results gave Unity, the political party of outgoing President Rene Preval, 46 of 99 seats in the Chamber of Deputies and an absolute majority in the Senate with 17 of 30 seats.

President-elect Michel Martelly has called for an investigation and urged the international community not to recognize the results. The outcome was met with outbreaks of violence that left at least one person dead.

Mr. Martelly's fledging Reypons Peysan party won only three parliamentary seats. The former entertainer is scheduled to be inaugurated May 14.

Mr. Martelly has promised change in Haiti after he is sworn in next month. International donors are waiting for a new government before they release billions of dollars to help the Caribbean country overcome its deep poverty, earthquake-shattered infrastructure and cholera epidemic. Haiti is the Western Hemisphere's poorest country.

XS
SM
MD
LG