The Fix is in, Preval Rigs Haiti's Elections by Stanley Lucas

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Mid-day today 16 of the 18 presidential candidates called for an annulment of today's elections.

They stated that their poll watchers witnessed local poll workers, put in place by the partisan Provisional Electoral Council (CEP), stuffing more than 90% of the official ballots boxes overnight in favor of President Preval's chosen successor, Jude Celestin.

They cited numerous cases of voter intimidation and violence throughout the country.

The candidates will meet tomorrow to discuss their political options, but if history is a guide, the Haitian people will rise up and call for the resignation of the president and new elections to be scheduled as soon as possible.

This is exactly what transpired after corrupt elections in 1988 leading to the election of President Aristide and in 2006 resulting in the election of President Preval.

Tomorrow the CEP will announce that there were some irregularities, but nothing significant, and that 96% of the vote has been counted with Jude Celestin as the clear winner.

It is also anticipated that the UN Mission in Haiti, MINUSTAH, will certify the elections also noting some irregularities, but likely arguing that the country is in need of new leadership after the year they have had. They will urge Haitians to accept the results in the interest of stability and recognizing the dire state Haiti is in. These were their talking points after the May 2000 elections, but the Haitians never bought the argument.

For the Haitian people, the MINUSTAH has been almost totally discredited after a string of scandals, see: solutionshaiti.blogspot.com/2010/11/un... including the most recent controversy surrounding the cholera outbreak.

Overwhelming evidence has been put forth identifying the Nepalese base of the MINUSTAH as the source of the cholera, but the UN refuses to investigate the source calling such an investigation a distraction.

Recent video has surfaced showing UN soldiers firing on and killing several Haitian protestors.

The UN labeled the protestors "criminals" - but failed to note they were unarmed.

The MINUSTAH mission in Haiti has become so corrupt it rivals the UN's oil-for-food scandal in Iraq.

Haiti's lucrative telecom company will also come out in support of the elections and will likely put pressure on the UN to certify the results.

The company is closely linked to Preval and has been also linked to his efforts to put in place this electoral coup according to many Haitians.

This company is also close to the MINUSTAH and Haiti's Interim Reconstruction Commission, which is in charge of allocating the aid money.

We also expect to see the powerful members of Haiti's business cartel, Groupe de Bourdon, commenting in the international press about how well the elections went and that this marks a new chapter for Haiti.

This business cartel funded much of the coup and hand picked Mr. Celestin.

They account for 97% of Haiti's economic activity but account for only 5% of the tax revenue.

After the year the Haitian people have suffered, November 28 represented their chance to bring "hope and change" to Haiti.

More than 4.7 million people showed up today to participate in the process despite endless problems in the run up to the elections securing voter identification cards and identifying polling stations.

The CEP even admitted that they would not be able to update the voter registration lists to account for the 300,000 people who died in the earthquake.

Tomorrow when the candidates meet, they will likely discuss several options.

They could call for the replacement of the CEP with a non-partisan group of actors and an immediate re-organization of elections for January 14 -- or as soon as possible.

Alternatively, they could call for Article 149 of the Constitution to be invoked making the head of the Supreme Court the interim president in charge of organizing elections.

Whatever their chosen path, it must be quick and decisive.

Haiti cannot sustain a protracted political crisis.

Victor Baca, November 28 2010, 11:43 PM

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