A Haitian supporter of presidential candidate René Preval holds a poster of former Haitian President Jean-Bertrand Aristide during a rally in Port-au-Prince, on Saturday. Preval could be headed for a run-off in Haiti's first election since Aristide's ouster. - REUTERS
PORT-AU-PRINCE (AP):
PROTESTS IN support of presidential favourite René Preval broke out in Haiti's capital yesterday as a slow vote count showed the former president and champion of the poor just shy of the 50 per cent margin he needs to win outright and avoid a run-off.
Some Preval supporters threatened the demonstrations could turn violent if Preval isn't declared the first-round winner, accusing the electoral council of manipulating the count. Election officials deny any wrongdoing.
"If they take the election from Preval, it's not going to go smoothly," said Robert Antoine, a 23-year-old from the Bel-Air slum. "The people voted massively for Preval, and it seems the electoral commission is playing games with the results."
In the seaside slum of Cite Soleil, another Preval stronghold, about 1,000 demonstrators donning Preval T-shirts and blowing horns held a rally and prepared to march to the electoral council's offices.
In the Port-au-Prince area of Delmas, some 6,000 protesters, many wearing Preval hats and waving campaign posters, boisterously marched down a main street, singing "Our hearts beat for Preval!"
ROADBLOCKS
Other Preval supporters were planning to block roads in Jeremie, a town about 100 miles (160 kilometres) south-west of Port-au-Prince, local radio reported.
Preval was leading a field of 33 candidates with 49.1 per cent of the vote, five days after Haitians swarmed the polls to elect a new president. Officials say 75 per cent of the ballots from Tuesday's elections have been counted.
Barring a change, Preval would fall just short of the 50 per cent plus one vote he needs to avoid a March 19 run-off with the runner-up. Leslie Manigat, also a former president, was second with 11.7 per cent of the vote.
Officials said final results could be released as early as late yesterday, although the count has been slowed by frequent delays. An estimated 2.2 million people cast ballots, or 63 per cent of registered voters.
