Haiti was plunged into a wave of protests and violence, following the announcement of preliminary election results, the spokesman for the Provisional Electoral Council before the 9 empty chairs provided for electoral advisers of the Provisional Electoral Council (CEP), which do not show up, despite three hours of waiting... without explanation.

Supporters of eliminated candidates have set, on Tuesday night, fires and erected barricades in the streets of the capital in protest. Early fires were reported in many small shops. Hundreds of protesters with their faces masked, ran through the streets, mostly blocked, requesting the annulment of the election. Stone-throwing incidents have disrupted traffic, windshields were smashed and vehicles burned . Protesters accused the government of having "run their candidate", other threatened to blockade the country.

At Petion Ville, tires were burning, replacing the street lights... Gunshots were heard in the suburb of the capital... Bystanders were attacked by stone-throwing... Shops were vandalized. At the place Saint Pierre, the demonstrators clashed with forces of Misnustah and the Police Nationale d'Haiti (PNH) who tried with tear gas to disperse them... The thousands of refugees from camps in the Place Saint-Pierre, women, children and babies were forced to evacuate the area because they were gassed, and find refuge in another camp... The press conference scheduled later in the evening by the candidate Michel Martelly has been canceled.

At the Champ de Mars near the IDP camps where thousands of victims, some angry demonstrators vandalized and toppled portable toilets. Local residents are concerned about the spread excrement, fearing the spread of cholera.

Like a wildfire, a wind of revolt, on a background of disputes and vandalism, has spread to other cities of the country.

At Les Cayes, the city was paralyzed, many demonstrations took place in the city, streets are blocked by barricades and burning tires, the DGI, the Ministry of Economy and Finance, the Public Prosecutor and a schools were torched. The demonstrators threw stones and bottles. Gunfire were reported. This morning most shops are closed while new events are afoot.

In Cap Haitien, the city has been paralyzed, burning barricades are reported. This morning, shops and schools are closed.

It is too early to have the first human assessments of this wind of disputes and violence that blows over the country, while many events are announced today and the tension is far from being appeased and that the results of these elections fuel the anger of the population.

See also:

https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-1859-haiti-elections-2010-preliminary-results-official-first-round.html

HL/ HaitiLibre