Call for Calm in Haiti after Election Events

Port-au-Prince, Nov 30. -The UN and international observers have appealed for calm in Haiti after two people died during election-related clashes on Sunday.

Nearly 4.7 million Haitians were eligible to vote for president, 11 senators and 99 deputies in yesterday's elections, when clashes among supporters of the different candidates left two dead and a number of injured.

Twelve of the 18 candidates demanded the annulment of the elections, claiming massive fraud, and called on supporters to take to the streets, an action that triggered protests in the capital and other cities.

The president of the Provisional Electoral Council, Gaillot Dorsainvil, ruled out the possibility of anullment, affirming the process took place under normal conditions and the events were not serious.

More than 1,600 Haitians have died and 70,000 have been infected by cholera since the bacteria was detected in the country in October.

Also, more than 250,000 people died during Januaryâ�Ös earthquake, which devastated Port-au-Prince and neighboring cities and left more than 1.5 billion people homeless.

Even though the election results will be announced December 10, predictions indicate that none of the candidates will hold the majority of votes needed to win the first round, and runoffs will have to take place on January 16. (Prensa Latina)