Election day in Port-au-Prince

PreviousNext
1 of 1
Some young Haitians take a rest at a polling station in the slums of Cite-Soleil on November 28th, 2010. Photo by Trevor Little
Campaign posters outside Pétion-ville. November 2010. Photo by Trevor Little
A man searches for his name on a voters' list posted outside a polling station in Pétion-ville. Lack of organization and incomplete voter's lists at some polling stations caused many voters to travel far distances between multiple locations in an attempt to find their name. November 28th 2010. Photo by Trevor Little
A man casts his ballot at a polling a polling station in Pétion-ville. The ballots contained pictures of the candidates and a symbol representing their party to help illiterate voters. Photo by Trevor Little
A Haitian man arrives at a polling station in Belair, Port-au-Prince wearing an Obama 2009 election t-shirt. Photo by Trevor Little
Ballot boxes inside a polling station in Martissant, Port-au-Prince. November 28th 2010. Photo by Trevor Little.
A Sri-Lankan UN Peacekeeper watches carefully as Haitians cast their ballots at a polling station in Martissant, Haiti. November 28th, 2010. Photo by Trevor Little
The streets are empty in Bel Air, Haiti an area known for its support of ousted President Aristide. November 28th 2010. Photo by Trevor Little
An illiterate Haitian man searches for his name on a voters' list at a Cite-Soleil polling station in Haiti on November 28th, 2010. Photo by Trevor Little
UN peacekeepers oversee a polling station in Cite-Soleil, Haiti on November 28th 2010. Photo by Trevor Little
A woman reacts as a UN translator asks people to leave the polling area as the UN Peacekeepers try to restore order to a Cite-Soleil polling station on November 28th 2010. Photo by Trevor Little
A UN peacekeeper instructs a group of Haitians to wait outside a polling station in Cite-Soleil, Haiti while trying to restore order. Photo by Trevor Little.
An election supervisor watches through an open wall as people cast their ballots in a Cite-Soleil polling station on November 28th, 2010. Photo by Trevor Little.
Haitians cast their ballots inside a tent donated by the Peoples Republic of China in Delmas, Port-au-Prince on November 28th 2010. Photo by Trevor Little.
CEP officials count ballots after the polls closed at a polling station in Delmas, Haiti. Photo by Trevor Little
A Haitian man holds up a campaign post for Michel Martelly 'Sweet Micky' in Delmas, Haiti, after polls closed on November 28th 2010. Photo by Trevor Little

Election Day in Port-au-Prince

December 2010
by Trevor Little

On November 28, 2010 the people of Haiti went to the polls for the first time since the January earthquake to elect a successor to President René Preval. The election was quickly criticized by many Haitians as well as the international community for its lack of organization with accusations of corruption and ballot stuffing. Many Haitians were unable to find their names on the voter lists at the polling stations, or lacked the proper identification required to cast their ballot.

Ten days later the CEP (Provisional Electoral Council) announced the official results with President Preval’s hand picked candidate Jude Celestine going into the second round against ex-first lady Mirlande Manigat. This announcement effectively removed the pop sensation Michel Martelly (aka Sweet Mickey) a candidate with massive amounts of support from the displaced Haitian community residing in the camps and slums of Port-au-Prince.

Within minutes of the announcement Haiti’s capitol city went into lock-down as protestors took to the streets. Black smoke filled the air as roadblocks constructed from burning tires blocked the main arteries of Port-au-Prince. Jude Celestine’s campaign office was set ablaze. With Haiti’s military fully disbanded by Aristide, the United Nations stepped in to try and maintain order and defend key buildings which were being targeted by the Haitian protestors. This quickly escalated to violent standoffs between the UN peacekeepers and the protestors.

After 3 days of protests and pressure from the international community the CEP announced that they would recount the ballots postponing the second round. On April 4th 2011 Haiti went back to the polls and elected Michel Martelly to be the next President of Haiti, defeating Mirlande Manigat with almost 70% of the vote.