Re: Haiti - Flights Halted - violence prevents workers from reporting to work at airport - Humanitarians Impacted
Haiti: Ban appeals for end to violence after election results announced
Ballots from Haiti's presidential election on 28 November 2010 being sorted in Port-au-Prince
8 December 2010 ?
Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon today appealed for an end to violence in Haiti following the announcement of preliminary election results in a country that has already been ravaged this year by a devastating earthquake and a raging cholera epidemic.
?A peaceful solution to the current situation is crucial not only to confront the cholera epidemic in the short-term but also to create the conditions in the medium term for recovery and development from the earthquake,? a
statement issued by his spokesman said.
The statement voiced concern at allegations of fraud and noted that the results of the 28 November presidential and legislative elections are not final. ?He urges all candidates to exhaust the formal remedies and legal procedures, which will allow a clearer picture to emerge,? it added. ?This would be a solid base on which to move forward.
?The Secretary-General expresses his concern over the acts of violence that have taken place in the aftermath of the announcement of the preliminary results. He reminds all candidates that they have a personal responsibility to encourage their supporters to remain calm and to stop violence.?
According to media reports, thousands of protesters rampaged through the streets of Port-au-Prince, the capital, setting fire to the headquarters of the ruling government coalition, which they accused of rigging the results, after
Tuesday?s announcement that former first lady Mirlande Manigat and outgoing President Rene Pr?val?s party candidate Jude Celestin qualified for the January presidential run-off by coming in first and second.
Popular musician Michel Martelly was close behind in third place, but thus excluded from the run-off and supporters set up burning barricades of timber, boulders and flaming tires.
Read more:
http://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=36996&Cr=haiti&Cr1=