NEW YORK–(ENEWSPF)–21 August 2010 – The United Nations peacekeeping force in Haiti today called on the country’s people to respect the electoral laws after the announcement of the final list of eligible candidates for November’s presidential polls.
Haiti’s election commission yesterday published a list of 19 candidates it says are eligible to take part in the 28 November race and reportedly ruled out a further 15 candidates as ineligible, including the prominent hip-hop musician Wyclef Jean.
In a statement issued in Port-au-Prince, the capital, the peacekeeping mission (known as MINUSTAH) welcomed the release of the list of candidates and said it remained committed to helping ensure that the elections are free, transparent and fair.
“MINUSTAH calls on the candidates and political parties participating in the presidential and legislative elections to respect the laws prescribed in the Electoral Act and to promote among their members the values that will allow these elections to be conducted with the greatest serenity and respect for voters,” the statement said.
A day earlier the mission urged all candidates to make the plight of the homeless their main concern and not partisan or personal interests.
MINUSTAH is expected to provide technical, security and logistical support for the elections.
Haitians will go to the ballot box on 28 November to elect a new president and a parliament, the first such elections since the poor Caribbean nation was devastated by an earthquake in January that killed an estimated 200,000 people and displaced about 1.3 million others.
Source: un.org
