Haiti announces candidates for run-off presidential election

Haiti announces candidates for run-off presidential election

2011-02-03 23:24:45 GMT+7 (ICT)

PORT-AU-PRINCE (BNO NEWS) -- Haiti announced on Thursday that musician Michel Martelly will face former first lady Mirlande Manigat in the second round of presidential elections on March 20, the local newspaper Le Nouvelliste reported.

After two months of post-election crisis, Haiti's Provisional Electoral Council decided to eliminate from the race Jude Celestin, the candidate backed by outgoing President René Préval, whose term expires February 7.

Haiti plunged into a serious political crisis since the first round of the presidential election on November 28. Preliminary official results have put conservative Mirlande Manigat in first place and Celestin in second place, eliminating popular singer Michel Martelly from the second round, which was originally scheduled for January 16.

The results were denounced by supporters of Martelly and challenged by an audit of the votes of the Organization of American States (OAS). The electoral council has finally followed the recommendations of the OAS.

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