26 Apr 2011

Haitian Elections Marred by Fraud

Up to 14 percent of the ballots for the second round run-off between popular singer Michel Martelly and former first lady Mirlande Manigat may have been tampered with, according to the election commission’s figures.

Over 1,500 tally sheets were put aside while awaiting a final decision on their validity because they were “visibly fraudulent”, according to Widmack Matador, the head of the Provisional Electoral Council.

The first round of elections were also marred by fraud, forcing the hand-picked successor of President Rene Preval, Jude Celestin, to back out of the race, allowing Martelly to run instead.

The electoral commission delayed the release of the provision results to April 4th, with the final results coming in by April 16th.

For the original story from Yahoo!, please click here.

Pictured above is former President Rene Preval