Aristide ally ahead in Haiti vote count

[mom cat]

Aristide ally ahead in Haiti vote count
Aristide ally ahead in Haiti vote count
Wednesday 08 February 2006, 23:05 Makka Time, 20:05 GMT


Initial results in Haiti's presidential election have given a one-time ally former President Jean Bertrand Aristide a huge majority in several parts of the Haitian capital.
According to results posted on Wednesday, one day after presidential elections in the turmoil-torn country, Rene Preval had performed well across both rich and poor districts of Port-au-Prince.

Many of the results from around the country were still en route to the capital and some were carried by mule from mountainous, hard-to-reach areas.

Preval, 63, scored more than 90% in a large centre where residents of the notorious Cite Soleil slum cast their ballots, and unexpectedly garnered a strong majority in several voting offices in wealthier neighbourhoods.

At a school in the middle-class suburb of Petion-Ville, Preval took 70% of the votes, according to results posted on the walls. Electoral officials insist the results are not official as they still have to be verified and officially tabulated.

Preval, who was president from 1996 to 2001, was long a close ally of Jean Bertrand Aristide, Haiti's last elected president. Aristide resigned and fled the country with US and French help on 29 February, 2004 as insurgents closed in on the capital.

Like Aristide before him, Preval is often seen as a champion of the poor, who make up 77% of the 8.5 million population. He draws little sympathy from business leaders, many of whom said they favoured Leslie Manigat, former president or Charles Henry Baker, industrialist, who trailed far behind Preval in voting centres of the capital surveyed by AFP.


http://bigboston.com/haitielection%20result1.html

(This is the main news outlet for Boston's Hatian community.)

[LynnTheDem]

1. YESSSSSSSS!!! Oh I mean how "WORRISOME".

Heh. :rofl:

The POOR people of Haiti are speaking.

POWER TO THE (poor) PEOPLE!

[mom cat]

2. They are roaring. They voted in record numbers in spite of threats and

intimidation. The Hatians that I talked to were beaming with pride. They know that there is a tough road ahead, but they are proud of their backbone. May we gain inspiration from them.:bounce:

[LynnTheDem]

3. And Ari will be back.

HEAR THEM NOW, bush?

Good for the (poor) people of Haiti! The haves & havemores need to GET OUTTA THE WAY.

YAY HAITI!!! You can do it! :) :) :)

[mom cat]

4. Hell, maybe even we can do it someday!

[LynnTheDem]

8. Oy...

A wee bit on the optimistic side is good, but you're carrying it just a tad too far dontcha think?

:D

[mom cat]

20. I did say "maybe".

On second thought, you are right. That was far too optimistic!

[LynnTheDem]

21. Heh.

Just teasin' ya...always keep the hope. :)

{{{HUGS}}}

[mom cat]

22. I know ... I was teasing right back at you.

:hug:

[MisterP]

5. I do recall he's hot for neoliberalism now, however

[mom cat]

6. Do you have a source on that? I would be interested in finding out more.

[MisterP]

13. St. Pete Times notes him attacking Lavalas, which the Times says

is a great thing to do:
http://www.sptimes.com/2006/02/07/Worldandnation/Ex_leader_still_enigm.shtml
LATimes overview: http://fairuse.1accesshost.com/news5/latimes26.htm

[Freddie Stubbs]

24. Apperently the voters of Haiti think it is a great thing too

[CAcyclist]

27. Maybe you should reread your articles

Preval isn't noted attacking the Lavalas party, just separating from it.

[mom cat]

28. Thanks.

[rpannier]

7. Another diplomatic coup for the scrub administration

They pushed out Aristide and got his friend. Same cart --> New Driver.

HA HA!

[Minstrel Boy]

9. "Aristide resigned and fled the country with US and French help"

BULLSHIT HE DID!

Multiple sources that just spoke with Haitian President Jean-Bertrand Aristide told Democracy Now! that Aristide says he was "kidnapped" and taken by force to the Central African Republic. Congressmember Maxine Waters said she received a call from Aristide at 9am EST. "He's surrounded by military. It's like he is in jail, he said. He says he was kidnapped," said Waters.

She said he had been threatened by what he called US diplomats. According to Waters, the diplomats reportedly told the Haitian president that if he did not leave Haiti, paramilitary leader Guy Philippe would storm the palace and Aristide would be killed. According to Waters, Aristide was told by the US that they were withdrawing Aristide's US security.

TransAfrica founder and close Aristide family friend Randall Robinson also received a call from the Haitian president early this morning and confirmed Waters account. Robinson said that Aristide "emphatically" denied that he had resigned. "He did not resign," he said. "He was abducted by the United States in the commission of a coup." Robinson says he spoke to Aristide on a cell phone that was smuggled to the Haitian president.

http://www.zmag.org/content/showarticle.cfm?SectionID=54&ItemID=5066

He did not resign and flee. He was abducted by US forces!

We need to remember history. Sometimes it's all we have.

Except, maybe, the future.

[Just Me]

25. Was the first thing that struck me, too. He was removed via a US coup.

It was one of the most horrifying events I've ever seen. I suppose I could have been grateful they didn't just assassinate him. But, the U.S. backed corporacrats forced his removal when he began certain programs to address poverty in his nation.

Of course, I don't imagine this fella's future will be much more fruitful.

I hate this shit.x(

[rman]

26. a complete lie

as some of us know

[muriel_volestrangler]

10. A slightly more up-to-date report

(the OP was from Wednesday - AFP via Al Jazeera!)

Preval takes lead in Haiti election - officials
10 Feb 2006 00:45:13 GMT
Source: Reuters

Former president Rene Preval, a one-time ally of deposed Haitian leader Jean-Bertrand Aristide, took an early lead in this week's presidential election, according to the first results released on Thursday by election officials.

In early vote counting in the west department, which includes the populous capital, Preval led with 65.9 percent, the Provisional Electoral Council said.

Another former president, Leslie Manigat, had 13.8 percent in the west department while industrialist Charles Baker, the main candidate of the wealthy elite, was in fourth place with 5.7 percent, the council said.

http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/N09198894.htm

[HuffleClaw]

11. good news

i wonder what the white house will say about this democracy in action ?

[stepnw1f]

12. The End of Fascism Begins....

one dominoe at a time...

[bread_and_roses]

14. Chomsky once said the Haitians could teach US about Democracy

...or so I recall reading. Certainly their courage is a rebuke to those who wish to see us cowering behind plastic and duct tape in fear - and those who listen to them.

[PhilipShore]

15. CNN/AP: Preval takes lead in Haiti voting

CNN/AP
Preval takes lead in Haiti voting
February 10, 2006

http://www.cnn.com/2006/WORLD/americas/02/10/haiti.election.ap/

MARMELADE, Haiti (AP) -- Rene Preval took a strong lead Thursday in Haiti's presidential election, with most of the first votes counted going to the former president who is seen as a champion of the poor.

Preval, the former protege of deposed President Jean-Bertrand Aristide, won 61.5 percent of 282,327 votes counted, Haiti's electoral council said. It refused to say what percentage of the total votes cast these figures represented. According to the United Nations, a majority of Haiti's 3.5 million eligible voters cast ballots.

[flyarm]

16. democracy is on the rise!! but not the democracy the chimp wants!!

vive la haiti!!

god bless them ..we so screwed them..may they now get peace ..without the chimps helping murdering hands!!

opps watch *hes corp buddies go running from haiti..may the good people of haiti keep and capture all the wealth and riches from those corps as they run with their tails tucked up there arses.,..

ahhh shucks ..there goes * es friends new resort homes@!

fly

[nodehopper]

17. RESIGNED, did he? I remember him being kidnapped

and taken to Africa on an airplane. Nice Orwellian revisionism there.

[mom cat]

23. That was an intresting turn of a phrase:

better known as lying!

[Moderator]

18. Kick

[mom cat]

19. Ex-president Preval takes lead in Haitian election

:bounce:
Ex-president Preval takes lead in Haitian election
Fri Feb 10, 2006 4:41 AM GMT
Votes still being counted in Haiti

By Joseph Guyler Delva and Jim Loney

PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti (Reuters) - Former President Rene Preval appeared headed for an outright victory in Haiti's first election since Jean-Bertrand Aristide was ousted two years ago, according to rivals and initial vote counts.

Preval, who led the impoverished Caribbean nation from 1996 to 2001, did not claim victory but sounded like a winner after election officials said the one-time Aristide protege was leading with 61 percent after about 283,000 votes had been counted. Haiti has 3.5 million registered voters.

The first official results touched off a carnival-like celebration in the main square of Marmelade, Preval's hometown in the northern mountains. People cheered, danced and chanted "Preval is the one!"

"I am happy that I measure up to the weight of the expectations of the people," he said. "There is a lot of poverty. We will have to work hard."

If the initial results hold up, Preval would have the simple majority he needs to win the presidency outright, avoiding a second-round vote on March 19.

Another former president, Leslie Manigat, trailed in second place with 13.4 percent, while industrialist Charles Baker, the main candidate of the wealthy elite which opposed Aristide, had 6.1 percent.

snip:
The United States pressured Aristide to leave after an armed revolt in 2004, accusing him of using thugs to enforce his rule. Now, after a chaotic but mostly peaceful vote in the destitute and unstable Caribbean nation, Washington may have to deal with his one-time ally, and another potential champion of the poor.

More at: :bounce:
http://today.reuters.co.uk/news/newsArticle.aspx?type=worldNews&storyID=2006-02-10T044135Z_01_N09131380_RTRUKOC_0_UK-HAITI-ELECTION.xml