Original source:
Results of Haiti’s senate elections will probably not be known for over a week, despite a low turnout.
Voting for 11 empty seats in the 30-member senate took place across the impoverished country on Sunday after a year-and-a-half of delays caused by political infighting, riots over soaring food costs and damaging storms.
Jean-Marc Baudot, a Canadian consultant serving as logistics co-ordinator for the provisional electoral council’s computation centre, said that it will take at least eight days to count ballots brought in from the countryside and determine the winners.
Mr Baudot said officials have not been able to determine the turnout yet, but added that it appeared to be low.
Supporters of ousted left-wing president Jean-Bertrand Aristide – whose ever-popular Fanmi Lavalas party was barred from running by electoral officials – encouraged citizens to boycott the polls.
In the run-up to the election Lavalas organised mass rallies demanding the return of Mr Aristide, defending its right to participate and condemning the establishment parties for presiding over mounting hunger, poverty and unemployment which is ravaging Haiti.
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