Haitians vote hoping to restore constitutional order

21 Nov, 2016

Haitians went to the polls Sunday to elect a president and members of the legislature in hopes of restoring constitutional order in the impoverished Caribbean country after more than a year of political crisis. Nearly 6.2 million voters are eligible to cast ballots, choosing a president from a field of 27 presidential candidates.
Also up for grabs are 25 of the 109 seats in the lower house of Haiti's bicameral legislature, and 16 of the 30 Senate seats.
An attempt to hold the long-delayed election in October 2015 was scrapped over claims of massive fraud and opposition protests.
The cancellation prevented President Michel Martelly, a popular singer elected in May 2011, from transferring power to a successor picked by popular vote, as required by the constitution.
The failure to do so created a power vacuum when Martelly's mandate expired in February. Parliament chose Senate chief Jocelerme Privert as interim head of state - initially for a mandate of three months - but new polls were delayed amid civil unrest and political infighting.
The first round of the presidential election was scheduled again for October 9, but was delayed after devastating Hurricane Matthew pummelled the country on October 4.
Tired of the electoral chaos, voters have shown little enthusiasm in participating in Sunday's polls. In regions hit hard by the hurricane, people have been more concerned with finding food and water than picking the country's next leaders.

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