Caribbean & Central America - April 2011 (ISSN 1741-4458)
Martelly wins weak mandate with landslide victory
Haiti finally has a new president-elect. On 4 April, the provisional electoral council (CEP) announced preliminary results from the 20 March run-off which showed that pop star Michel “Sweet Micky†Martelly had defeated Mirlande Manigat by a convincing 67.57% to 31.74%. Final results are not due until later this month but Manigat has said she will not appeal the outcome. The scale of Martelly’s victory belies a weak mandate however. Aside from doubts over his place in the run-off, turn-out was poor. He inherits a legislature in which the Inité of outgoing President René Préval looks set to retain considerable influence and a country shaken up by the return of two polarizing figures, ex dictator Jean-Claude “Baby Doc†Duvalier (1971-1986), and thrice former president Jean-Bertrand Aristide.
Haiti finally has a new president-elect. On 4 April, the provisional electoral council (CEP) announced preliminary results from the 20 March run-off which showed that pop star Michel “Sweet Micky†Martelly had defeated Mirlande Manigat by a convincing 67.57% to 31.74%. Final results are not due until later this month but Manigat has said she will not appeal the outcome. The scale of Martelly’s victory belies a weak mandate however. Aside from doubts over his place in the run-off, turn-out was poor. He inherits a legislature in which the Inité of outgoing President René Préval looks set to retain considerable influence and a country shaken up by the return of two polarizing figures, ex dictator Jean-Claude “Baby Doc†Duvalier (1971-1986), and thrice former president Jean-Bertrand Aristide.
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