Haiti's Aristide keeps up pressure to hold presidential election as officials announce date for first-round results

Record ID: 78369

  • Title: Haiti's Aristide keeps up pressure to hold presidential election as officials announce date for first-round results
  • Date: 18th November 2016
  • Summary: PARTY MEMBERS AT PROTEST (SOUNDBITE) (Creole) JEAN BERTRAND ARISTIDE, FORMER PRESIDENT AND CURRENT HEAD OF FANMI LAVALAS PARTY, SAYING: "Together, without violence, we will block this electoral coup. That is what I am asking. This is good for Haiti, for the minority and for the majority." CAMPAIGN POSTERS POLICE PROVIDING SECURITY VOTER TABULATION CENTRE POSTER VARIOUS OF TABULATION CENTRE
  • Embargoed: 3rd December 2016 08:29
  • Keywords: Jean-Bertrand Aristide election day voting centre tabulation Fanmi Lavalas rally protest
  • Location: PORT-AU-PRINCE, HAITI
  • City: PORT-AU-PRINCE, HAITI
  • Country: Haiti
  • Topics: Government/Politics,Elections/Voting
  • Reuters ID: LVA00358YZOEF
  • Aspect Ratio: 16:9
  • Story Text: Former Haitian President Jean-Bertrand Aristide kept the heat on electoral officials to hold presidential elections on Sunday (November 20) as they announce that first-round results will be announced November 28.
    Twice-deposed Aristide took the streets on Thursday (November 18) and called on his supporters, the members of the Fanmi Lavalas party, to take to the streets and pressure officials to hold elections on Sunday.
    "Together, without violence, we will block this electoral coup. That is what I am asking. This is good for Haiti, for the minority and for the majority," he said.
    Just weeks ago, the Provisional electoral Council, or CEP, accused Aristide of inciting violence in the lead up to the election after he called on his supporters to take up "dechoucage", or violent protests, if elections did not go ahead on the new date of November 20.
    Haiti has been led by interim president Jocelerme Privert-- a former senator who served as interior minister under Aristide-- since February to avoid the prospect of Michel Martelly leaving office without a replacement.
    But, when the election was delayed because of Hurricane Matthew, Aristide claimed that delaying the election further would allow Privert to hang onto office illegitimately.
    Hurricane Matthew hit Haiti days in early October before the election was to be held, killing up to 1,000 people and leaving 1.4 million in need of humanitarian aid. Tens of thousands of victims packed into schools that would normally be used as polling centres, leading to concerns about the viability fo the vote.
    With opposition pressure mounting, the government organized ballot materials and readied equipment at the tabulation center.
    Tabulation center director Cherilus Robenson said they would count the votes in record time and publish the results eight days after the election.
    "The Council is in charge of publishing the results of the presidential election eight days after the day of voting which is November 20," he said.
    Twenty-seven candidates are running in the presidential election, vying for a possibility to lead the Western Hemisphere's poorest country.
    Results of the original first-round election, held in October 2015, were scrapped because of widespread voter fraud.
    Sunday's election will likely go to a second-round, to be held in early 2017.
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