A man repairing his roof in Haiti. (Photo: Oxfam International)
Feet in Two Worlds wants to know what Haitians in the U.S. are thinking and feeling about the elections. We invite you to leave a comment below.
For many frustrated Haitian citizens, and Haiti watchers, election day was a continuation of the strife the country has suffered over the past year, beginning with the devastating earthquake in January and the current cholera outbreak.
Voters poured into the streets with allegations of fraud and corruption at the polls, and at least 12 of the 19 candidates vying for the presidency came together on Sunday to call for the results to be canceled. The candidates accused the INITE party, represented by Jude Célestin, who is the favorite of the outgoing President, René Préval, of “massive fraud,” including stuffed ballot boxes and voter intimidation. Many hopeful voters were upset to find that their names were not located in the rolls at their local polling places, and more than 200,000 new and replacement ID cards required for voting hadn’t been delivered by election day morning. Yet on Sunday evening, the Haitian electoral commission said that the irregularities were too small to annul the election.
Preliminary results aren’t expected until December 7 at the earliest, so the candidates will surely be voicing their grievances further. The Haitian diaspora community in the United States is anxiously awaiting to hear the outcome, many of whom contributed funding and other means of support for candidates in their home country.
