Haiti : Aristide and the election

[the_future_modernes]

Haiti: The Entertainer or the Professor?

According to the reports on Twitter about today's presidential election runoff in Haiti, the lines at polling stations are long, and voters at the Lycée Petion and the Lycée Croix des Bouquets were unable to find their names on voter lists, a problem that had also plagued the original election last November. But many are also speculating on the outcome. Opinion polls conducted in the weeks before have tended to show entertainer Michel Martelly leading his rival Mirlande Manigat, an academic and former first lady.MORE

Haiti: Election Morning in Pictures

Haiti election: Manigat, Martelly and Celestin profiles (Celestin is not on the ballot, this is a runoff between Manigat and Martelly)

Mirlande Manigat

Whatever proposals they may have — Ms. Manigat has suggested remaking the education system, while Mr. Martelly has talked about revamping the agriculture sector — must pass muster with the international donors that prop up the country’s budget, said Alex Dupuy, a Wesleyan University sociologist who studies Haiti.

Neither one is going to be able to “set the priority for economic policy,” Dr. Dupuy said. “That is set by the donors, major financial institutions and the interim recovery commission” guiding the rebuilding plans.MORE

‘Sweet Micky’ gets makeover

PORT-AU-PRINCE---The man battling to become the next president of Haiti is a popular musician who mooned crowds, cursed his rivals, donned skirts and bikinis, and ran with a right-wing crowd of paramilitary goons.

That was the old Sweet Micky, the self-proclaimed Bad Boy of Compas, a brand of music.

The new Michel Martelly, always neatly dressed in a dark suit, engages in the kind of keen strategy that gets him to be photographed alongside former U.S. President Bill Clinton.

“He had to have a makeover,” said Jocelyn McCalla, a longtime Haiti political observer. “You can’t go from a bad boy to a responsible leader just like that.”

So Martelly, 50, hired a Spanish consulting firm with right-of-center ties to help put a polishing touch on the biggest performance of his life so far: winning the Haitian presidency.

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Haiti: Aristide’s return, the word “house” and today’s election

To say the twice exiled President Aristide is a mythic figure in the Haitian imagination is an understatement. To say he evokes strong emotions from Haitians, even less so. In a post titled “The Haitian Soap-Opera could not get any more dramatic,” New York City to Haiti, a Haitian-American living in Port-au-Prince, describes it thus:

There are two kinds of Haitians, people who love Aristide “Titid” or those who despise him. Many believe he was the messiah of the poor people because before him, they were widely ignored, others believe he is the most malevolent force to ever preside Haiti because he incited violence and targeted the middle and upper class. Many believe that he still has the power to control the masses and disturb the current electoral process. This is something we will have to wait to see. Haiti is on edge, both with excitement and/or fear. Grab your popcorn, folks! Things just got a bit interesting.

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But Aristide did indeed return, to the jubilation of massive crowds who, for the most part, probably do not read, write, blog or even tweet; his main constituency comprises the most disaffected. His speech at the airport was broadcast live on all Haitian radio stations and the national TV channel. Flanked by his wife and two daughters, as well as celebrities such as Danny Glover and Venezuela’s Ambassador, Aristide, with his usual eloquence, expressed his happiness to be home. He mentioned the coup that overthrew him only in passing; instead, stressing the need for inclusion for Haiti’s poor majority.
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Aristide Makes 'Historic' Return to Haiti

Former President Jean-Bertrand Aristide returned to Haiti on March 18 after a seven-year exile. Aristide’s return was greeted favorably by the Haitian people, while the U.S. government remains concerned that he could unduly influence elections set for March 19 and 20.

According to The New York Times, Haitian residents cheered, danced and blocked the streets around the airport as Aristide arrived home. The crowd mobbed Aristide as he attempted to get out of his car and get inside his house.

Aristide said he would not take part in the elections, but complained that his political party, Lavalas Family, was barred from the election.

“Excluding Lavalas, you cut the branches that link the people,” he told reporters. “The solution is inclusion of all Haitians as human beings.”

He spoke in several languages to the crowd, telling them: “The exclusion of Fanmi Lavalas is the exclusion of the Haitian people.”

“In 1804, the Haitian revolution marked the end of slavery,” he continued in English. “Today, may the Haitian people end exiles and coup d’états, while peacefully moving from social exclusion to inclusion.”MORE

Haitians vote in presidential runoff: UN official describes vote as peaceful but several polling sites delayed opening because they lacked voting materials.

Voting has started slowly in Haiti's presidential runoff, with some polling stations unable to open on time.

In the capital Port-au-Prince, some stations opened several hours late on Sunday because materials such as ink to mark voters' fingers and labels to mark the urns had not arrived.

"In Croix-des-Bouquets [outside the capital], some poll workers arrived late, so the polling stations could only open 10 to 15 minutes later," said Colin Granderson, the deputy secretary general of the regional CARICOM bloc who is leading an international observer mission to the quake-shattered country.

But Edmond Mulet, head of the UN mission in Haiti, said there were fewer delays and other problems than in the November 28 first round, which was marred by disorganisation and allegations of fraud.
MORe

Singer shot during Haiti campaign: Hip-hop superstar Wyclef Jean injured by gunfire as polls open for presidential election in Caribbean nation.

Wyclef Jean, the American singer and music producer, has been shot in the Haitian capital while campaigning for a presidential candidate Michel Martelly.

The 41-year-old former member of music group The Fugees was in a stable condition in hospital in Port-au-Prince on Sunday, being treated for a bullet wound to his right hand.

His management declared via Twitter: "We have spoken to Wyclef, he is ok. Thank you for your thoughts and prayers."