REUTERS
United States Ambassador Janet Sanderson looks at the ballots inside a voting centre in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, yesterday. Haitians trickled to the polls yesterday as voting began in Parliamentary elections that will decide if President-elect Rene Preval has enough support to govern the troubled Caribbean nation.
PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti (AP):
POLLING STATIONS were mostly quiet yesterday in a crucial legislative run-off intended to give this impoverished Caribbean nation its first popularly elected government since a revolt ousted President Jean-Bertrand Aristide two years ago.
The absence of long lines and apparent public enthusiasm for the election was in sharp contrast to February's presidential vote, which returned former President Rene Preval to power.
"It's a slow start," said David Wimhurst, a spokesman for the U.N. mission that was called to Haiti to help restore order following Aristide's ouster. "We think some people are waiting to see if they can vote later in the day. We expect it to pick up."
U.N. PEACEKEEPERS GUARD STATIONS
Thousands of U.N. peacekeepers fanned out across the country to guard polling stations, but only a tiny fraction of Haiti's 3.5 million registered voters had arrived to cast ballots shortly after voting opened at dawn. Voting increased in parts of the capital later yesterday.
There were no immediate reports of violence.
The head of the European Union observation team said partisans dressed up as election workers intimidated voters at a polling centre in the Port-au-Prince slum of Cite Soleil, but called the vote largely fair and free of the problems that plagued the Feb. 7 first round.
"Overall, it's a big improvement over the first round," European Parliament member Johan Van Hecke said.
