3 people dead in Haiti's post-election violence

3 people dead in Haiti's post-election violence

2010-12-10 03:37:13 GMT+7 (ICT)

PORT-AU-PRINCE, HAITI (BNO NEWS) -- Three people on Thursday were killed in the midst of Haiti’s post-election violence as approximately a dozen more were wounded by gunfire, officials said.

The deaths were registered in Les Cayes the most affected region by the violence which erupted on Tuesday night following the announcement of preliminary presidential election results and the elimination of candidates, including popular singer Michel Martelly.

Former Senator Gabriel Fortune said that a demonstrator was shot dead by Senegalese peacekeepers during the attack on the Departmental Electoral Office (BED) which was burned.

Two more young protesters were killed at the entrance on the Les Cayes during the attack and pillage of a police station in which demonstrators took police weapons from the facility.

Authorities informed that so far most public buildings located downtown have been burned or seriously damaged. The attacked facilities include the offices of customs, finance, Directorate General of Taxation (DGI) and a branch of the National Bank of Credit.

Martinelly was excluded from the second round of elections after receiving 234,617 votes, 21.84 percent, while the government candidate, Jude Célestin, got 241,462 votes (22.48 percent) amidst fraud allegations. Alongside Célestin, the other candidate still taking part in the run-off is Mirlande Manigat of the RDNP party who received 31.37 percent of the voting.

Rioters threw stones at various buildings and vehicles, disrupting traffic. Some cars were even set on fire as protesters accused the government of illegally supporting its candidate and threatened to blockade the Caribbean island nation.

Haitian President Rene Preval called for calm after reports surfaced indicating that three persons were shot dead while about dozen others were wounded with bullets in the capital, Les Cayes, Mirebalais and Cap Haïtien.

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