Angry Haitians demand president’s ouster amid vote delay

PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti – Thousands of protesters took to the streets of Haiti’s capital Saturday, January 23, setting tires ablaze and demanding the resignation of outgoing President Michel Martelly following the postponement of a runoff to pick his replacement.

Haiti’s electoral authority called off the Sunday vote due to “obvious security concerns” on Friday, less than 48 hours before the polls were set to open.

Crowds gathered in Port-au-Prince Friday and Saturday to show their anger at the move. Many voters say the first-round presidential election was marred by fraud favoring Jovenel Moise, Martelly’s hand-picked successor.

On Saturday, a mob targeted a market next to the presidential palace. Security guards fired live bullets into the air, an action that only fueled the crowd’s anger, a witness reported.

Protesters hurled rocks and police responded with blasts of water laced with an irritant. In another show of discontent, tires were set on fire. 

One person suffered a gunshot wound, 3 vehicles were set ablaze and several storefront windows were smashed when a mob struck Friday near the headquarters of the Provisional Electoral Council (CEP).

More than a dozen polling stations were attacked or burned Thursday to Friday before the postponement.

No banana 

The protests, which have increased in frequency since November, reject the idea that Moise even participate in the election.

“We didn’t vote for a banana, we will not eat that banana” is one of the top protest slogans, a reference to Moise’s banana export operations.

“What is the greatest violence when a government tries to steal the will of the people? When a president tries to provoke and humiliate an entire people?” asked Evel Fanfan, an attorney for one of the main political parties.

“When the violence is the result of violence for freedom and for democracy, I would say that is good violence,” Fanfan told Agence France-Presse at a Saturday march.

Opposition politician Assad Volcy, meanwhile, stated what many in the crowd wanted: “We now demand the departure of Michel Martelly and (Prime Minister) Paul Evans, and the formation of a transitional government before February 7 to lead the electoral process.”

Call for ‘quick’ runoff 

Moise separately urged a “quick organization of the second round” at a Saturday news conference.

He also said he thought “the people are ready to vote for Jovenel Moise en masse.” 

However, Moise’s opponent, Jude Celestin, went so far as to boycott the poll in protest.

Moise took 32.76% of the vote over opposition flag-bearer Celestin’s 25.29% during the October first round-vote.

But with many polling stations closed due to unrest and electoral dirty tricks, Celestin’s supporters cried foul, accusing Martelly of mounting an “electoral coup d’etat.”

A runoff had been scheduled for December 27 but was then cancelled and moved after fraud allegations. 

UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon also called Saturday for the runoff to be held “without delay.”

Martelly has said nothing in public statements since the vote was postponed. He was scheduled to address to the nation late Friday, but the speech was abruptly postponed without explanation.

Organization of American States monitors urged “consensual, constructive dialogue to overcome the current political crisis and complete the electoral process.” 

The vote’s indefinite postponement plunges Haiti into a fresh political crisis.

Since 1986, when president-for-life Jean-Claude “Baby Doc” Duvalier fled a revolt, the Caribbean island nation, which is wracked by poverty and the after effects of a devastating 2010 earthquake, has struggled repeatedly to hold credible elections. – Amelie Baron, AFP/Rappler.com