"Fraught with widespread irregularities"

[bcholmes]

Haiti’s elections, which were fraught with widespread irregularities and the arbitrary exclusion of political parties, should be rejected by the international community, Mark Weisbrot, Co-Director of the Center for Economic and Policy Research said today.

"From the banning of the country’s most popular party from the ballot to election day irregularities including numerous reports of ballot stuffing and the disenfranchisement of numerous eligible voters, these elections were an obvious farce from start to finish," Weisbrot said.

Twelve presidential candidates and thousands of demonstrators called for the elections to be canceled on Sunday.

"The international community should reject these elections and affirm support for democratic institutions in Haiti," Weisbrot added. "Otherwise, Haiti could be left with a government that is widely seen as illegitimate."

— "International Community Should Reject Haiti’s "Sham" Elections, CEPR Co-Director Says", Press release from the Center for Economic and Policy Research