Haiti Campaign Closes With Violent Clashes; UN to Guard Voters

November 28, 2010, 5:59 AM EST

Blake Schmidt – Bloomberg

Nov. 27 (Bloomberg) — Violent clashes leading up to tomorrow’s presidential vote may keep many Haitians from casting their ballot for a leader to head reconstruction after January’s earthquake that killed 300,000, said the head of the largest foreign electoral observation group in Haiti.

Gunshots broke out late yesterday at a campaign rally of candidate Michel Martelly, with reports of one dead, according to his spokeswoman Leila Rusciani. It was the latest in a series of violent outbreaks leading up to the vote that included anti- UN protests that left at least one dead on Nov. 15.

“We have a number of concerns, the first of which is whether acts of violence could disrupt the election or intimidation could cause some people to think twice about going out” to vote, said Colin Granderson, Organization of American States envoy in Haiti.

Political violence, a cholera outbreak that has left more than 1,600 dead and 31,000 hospitalized, and withholding of voter IDs for as much as 10 percent of the electorate are factors that may cause a low voter turnout, Granderson said by phone from Port-au-Prince.

He said voter abstention will be high in tent camps housing 1.3 million quake victims. Discontent over the pace of reconstruction by the government of President Rene Preval could translate into votes against ruling party candidate Jude Celestin, he said.

As much as $900 million of $2.12 billion pledged by the top 24 donor nations has been disbursed for Haiti recovery, according to a Nov. 23 UN Development Program report.

‘No Government Here’

“We live like animals. There’s no government here,” said Romulus Fresmel, 26, a tent camp dweller in the Cite Soleil slum. He has been teaching without pay in classrooms without books and pencils. He blames the situation on a corrupted system, “I won’t vote because all the candidates are mercenaries.”

Celestin, a 48-year-old engineer with the most campaign posters decorating cracked walls in the capital, is a frontrunner, according to polls published by the local press, along with Martelly, 49, a Haitian pop star, and Mirlande Manigat, 70, a university professor and former senator whose husband was ousted after four months in office in 1988.

A second round would take place in January between the top two candidates if none of the 18 candidates gets more than 50 percent of the votes cast, said Gaillot Dorsinvil, provisional electoral council president.

Political Significance

About 4.5 million Haitians are eligible to vote for a new president, 11 of 30 senators and all 99 parliament deputies. Dorsinvil refused calls by four candidates to push back the vote to focus on reconstruction and stemming the spread of cholera.      “This election has great political significance. People must come and vote,” Dorsinvil said in a Nov. 25 interview at a former Gold’s Gym building in the capital where the council relocated from its destroyed headquarters.

Voter turnout in an April 2009 senate vote was 11 percent amid a boycott by supporters of President Jean-Bertrand Aristide, who was ousted after a 2004 rebellion, according to Dorsinvil.

The UN peacekeeping mission of 8,900 soldiers and 3,200 police will provide election day security and transport cast ballots from voting centers to electoral offices, Dorsinvil said. The force, which stepped up presence after the quake, arrived to help police stabilize after the 2004 conflict. The army was abolished in 1995.

Only Authority

UN forces are the only authority to be seen in parts of the capital. A caravan of UN troops encountered no Haitian police on a patrol this week in Cite Soleil, the country’s largest slum. Brazilian UN troops have patrolled the gang-controlled community of 300,000 since intervening six years ago.

“There are less Haitian police here since the quake,” said Brazilian Capt. Taujo Dornelles, as his jeep rolled past dusty tent camps.

At least one person was killed in Nov. 15 protests against UN peacekeepers in Haiti’s second-largest city, Cap-Haitien, in demonstrations triggered by claims that Nepalese UN soldiers introduced cholera into the country. UN mission spokesman Vincenzo Pugliese said allegations were investigated “as much as we could” and denied responsibility.

–Editors: Theo Mullen, Joe Sabo

To contact the reporter on this story: Blake Schmidt in Santo Domingo at bschmidt16@bloomberg.net

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COMMENT: HAITIAN-TRUTH.ORG

If the UN is protecting us, we are trouble. The MINUSTAH forces were noted by their non-involvement in maintaining order today.

So far as patrolling Cite Soleir, I was all through the area a week ago with three PNH – National Policemen.  The only real control in Cite Soleir is the PNH – like it or not. MINUSTAH is tolerated but the situation could turn in a moment!

MINUSTAH shot the Hell out of Cite Soleir, attacking people in a Democratic way…women, children, old men and women, dogs and cats. How can a guy, who doesn’t speak the language, sitting in a battened down armoured car…firing an M-60…tell if he is hitting criminals or Jesus Christ?

If the people finally turn on MINUSTAH the situation might come as a surprise to thos who think they are in control.

They are just tolerated now.

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