UN urges Haiti poll 'fraud' probe
The UN Security Council has called on Haiti's interim government fully to investigate claims of fraud in last week's presidential election.
The council also urged all Haitians to pursue any concerns over the electoral process "peacefully and legally".
It follows days of street protests, fuelled by the apparent discovery of charred ballot papers at a dump.
Front-runner Rene Preval has alleged that "massive fraud" probably denied him an outright victory in the vote.
He warned of more protests if partial results - which would require a run-off on 19 March if confirmed - were published as final.
Ransacked
Some of the charred ballots found in a dump north of the capital, Port-au-Prince, appeared to be marked in favour of Mr Preval, prompting outcry from his supporters at the scene.
Hundreds then marched past the US, Canadian and French embassies waving the papers and chanting "Look what they did with our votes", Reuters news agency reports.
Haiti's interim government has blocked publication of results from the presidential election until an inquiry into the fraud allegations is complete.
The UN Security Council called on the Haitian authorities "to fully investigate those charges".
In a statement read by US Ambassador John Bolton, council president for the month, it also urged "all Haitians with concerns or questions about possible post-electoral irregularities to pursue these peacefully and legally with the Haitian electoral authorities immediately".
The investigation is expected to include members of the government, the electoral commission and Mr Preval's party.
According to a UN spokesman, the ballots could have come from any of nine polling stations ransacked on election day.
Spokesman David Wimhurst said the ballots may have been placed at the dump to suggest fraud had taken place, the Associated Press news agency reports.
'Rigged' vote
The leader of the Organization of American States, Jose Miguel Insulza, is in Haiti to try to calm tensions.
He has urged countries not to withdraw their troops from the UN peacekeeping force in Haiti - a call made by one of the main opposition parties.
The UN Security Council has renewed the mandate of its peacekeeping force in Haiti for at least another six months.
The 9,500-strong mission was established in 2004 after President Jean-Bertrand Aristide was forced out of power.
Mr Preval was once an ally of Mr Aristide and has inherited his following among the poor.
He insists he has won the vote but partial results suggest he is just short of the 50% needed to be elected outright.
His supporters allege the vote has been rigged by the Haitian elite, which is suspicious of Mr Preval's links to Mr Aristide.
BBC Americas analyst Simon Watts, reporting from Miami, says the Haitian authorities seem to be damned whatever they do.
He says they risk sparking more unrest if they conclude Mr Preval is short of a majority - but declaring him an outright winner could look like a fix.
Haiti - the poorest country in the Americas - is choosing a 129-member parliament as well as a new president.
The council also urged all Haitians to pursue any concerns over the electoral process "peacefully and legally".
It follows days of street protests, fuelled by the apparent discovery of charred ballot papers at a dump.
Front-runner Rene Preval has alleged that "massive fraud" probably denied him an outright victory in the vote.
He warned of more protests if partial results - which would require a run-off on 19 March if confirmed - were published as final.
Ransacked
Some of the charred ballots found in a dump north of the capital, Port-au-Prince, appeared to be marked in favour of Mr Preval, prompting outcry from his supporters at the scene.
Hundreds then marched past the US, Canadian and French embassies waving the papers and chanting "Look what they did with our votes", Reuters news agency reports.
Haiti's interim government has blocked publication of results from the presidential election until an inquiry into the fraud allegations is complete.
The UN Security Council called on the Haitian authorities "to fully investigate those charges".
In a statement read by US Ambassador John Bolton, council president for the month, it also urged "all Haitians with concerns or questions about possible post-electoral irregularities to pursue these peacefully and legally with the Haitian electoral authorities immediately".
The investigation is expected to include members of the government, the electoral commission and Mr Preval's party.
According to a UN spokesman, the ballots could have come from any of nine polling stations ransacked on election day.
Spokesman David Wimhurst said the ballots may have been placed at the dump to suggest fraud had taken place, the Associated Press news agency reports.
'Rigged' vote
The leader of the Organization of American States, Jose Miguel Insulza, is in Haiti to try to calm tensions.
He has urged countries not to withdraw their troops from the UN peacekeeping force in Haiti - a call made by one of the main opposition parties.
The UN Security Council has renewed the mandate of its peacekeeping force in Haiti for at least another six months.
The 9,500-strong mission was established in 2004 after President Jean-Bertrand Aristide was forced out of power.
Mr Preval was once an ally of Mr Aristide and has inherited his following among the poor.
He insists he has won the vote but partial results suggest he is just short of the 50% needed to be elected outright.
His supporters allege the vote has been rigged by the Haitian elite, which is suspicious of Mr Preval's links to Mr Aristide.
BBC Americas analyst Simon Watts, reporting from Miami, says the Haitian authorities seem to be damned whatever they do.
He says they risk sparking more unrest if they conclude Mr Preval is short of a majority - but declaring him an outright winner could look like a fix.
Haiti - the poorest country in the Americas - is choosing a 129-member parliament as well as a new president.
posted by Alice at
Wednesday, February 15, 2006
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
Subscribe to Post Comments [Atom]
<< Home