Posted on Sat, Feb. 11, 2006
Haiti's next leader faces tough agenda
By Andrew Selsky
ASSOCIATED PRESS
PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti -- Haiti's likely next president, René Préval, faces a crowded and demanding agenda if he is to have a chance of resuscitating this Caribbean nation from dire poverty.
He must move quickly to stem gang violence that is causing manufacturers to close their doors, eliminating thousands of jobs in the Western Hemisphere's poorest nation. And he will have to negotiate with parliament, his party is expected to be weak, to name a Cabinet and prime minister and pass legislation.
With 1.1 million votes counted, Préval held 50.26 percent, Haiti's electoral council announced late yesterday. Turnout has been estimated at 1.75 million, or half the registered voters.
"The chances to go to a second round are 50-50," Jacques Bernard, director general of Haiti's Provisional Electoral Council, told The Miami Herald.
But one electoral adviser who has been monitoring the vote count said he expected PrŽval would wind up with 53 percent, well above the simple majority he needs to avoid a run-off against the second-place finisher.
A candidate running third said he wants the electoral council to investigate reports of fraud, claiming some people voted several times. International observers have praised Tuesday's elections as free and fair.
If Préval wins, he will have to open negotiations with opposition parties in parliament with little support from his Lespwa Party, which means hope in Creole. The gang violence fueling job losses must be stopped, and he must assure the poor he will be effective.
"Everything in Haiti is broken, and everything needs fixing," said Robert Maguire, director of the international affairs program at Trinity University in Washington. "One of the most immediate tasks is reconciliation and dialogue among Haitians."
Préval, an agronomist, has not announced any specific plans for addressing Haiti's problems, beyond pledging to improve security and create jobs, the same promises made by all the major candidates in the election.
Préval's tenure as president from 1996-2001 was less than stellar. His efforts at agrarian reform failed because poor people were not given enough land to live
Haiti's next leader faces tough agenda
By Andrew Selsky
ASSOCIATED PRESS
PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti -- Haiti's likely next president, René Préval, faces a crowded and demanding agenda if he is to have a chance of resuscitating this Caribbean nation from dire poverty.
He must move quickly to stem gang violence that is causing manufacturers to close their doors, eliminating thousands of jobs in the Western Hemisphere's poorest nation. And he will have to negotiate with parliament, his party is expected to be weak, to name a Cabinet and prime minister and pass legislation.
With 1.1 million votes counted, Préval held 50.26 percent, Haiti's electoral council announced late yesterday. Turnout has been estimated at 1.75 million, or half the registered voters.
"The chances to go to a second round are 50-50," Jacques Bernard, director general of Haiti's Provisional Electoral Council, told The Miami Herald.
But one electoral adviser who has been monitoring the vote count said he expected PrŽval would wind up with 53 percent, well above the simple majority he needs to avoid a run-off against the second-place finisher.
A candidate running third said he wants the electoral council to investigate reports of fraud, claiming some people voted several times. International observers have praised Tuesday's elections as free and fair.
If Préval wins, he will have to open negotiations with opposition parties in parliament with little support from his Lespwa Party, which means hope in Creole. The gang violence fueling job losses must be stopped, and he must assure the poor he will be effective.
"Everything in Haiti is broken, and everything needs fixing," said Robert Maguire, director of the international affairs program at Trinity University in Washington. "One of the most immediate tasks is reconciliation and dialogue among Haitians."
Préval, an agronomist, has not announced any specific plans for addressing Haiti's problems, beyond pledging to improve security and create jobs, the same promises made by all the major candidates in the election.
Préval's tenure as president from 1996-2001 was less than stellar. His efforts at agrarian reform failed because poor people were not given enough land to live
