HTH -- Haiti Earthquake

January 5, 2011. Second round vote impossible until late February in Haiti

SOURCE: Altegrity Risk International

A second-round vote to choose Haiti's president will not be possible until late February 2011, after the constitutional end of current President Rene Preval's term, an electoral council spokesman said on January 4th. The two-candidate runoff is supposed to be held on January 16th, but results have not been finalized from the November 28th first round vote, which was criticized for low turnout, disorganization, fraud, violence, and voter intimidation. The provisional electoral council is currently waiting for recommendations from an Organization of American States team called in to review the first-round vote. Haiti's constitution says that Preval's first-year term should end and a new president's term begin on February 7th. The delay should be expected to stir unrest in the nation, where rioting was reported following the announcement of the results of the first round.