Electoral council head: upcoming presidential runoff decisive to Haiti's future
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Haiti's upcoming presidential runoff between former first lady Mirlande Manigat and popular singer Michel Martelly, slated for Sunday, is a point to decide Haiti's destiny, at least in the next five years, said Gaillot Dorsinvil, head of Haitian Provisional Electoral Council on Saturday.
"This election is really important for Haiti's future, because the destiny of the country is depending on it," he said in an interview with Xinhua.
According to the council, about 4.5 million Haitians will cast their votes Sunday at 1186 poll centers to elect a successor to incumbent President Rene Preval.
Dorsinvil said many observers would monitor the second round of the votes, including 200 from the Organization of American States, 100 from French speaking countries, diplomats of foreign embassies in Haiti and the members of about 20 international organizations.
Besides the observers, about 200,000 people will be responsible for the security of the second round of elections.
According to him, in order to ensure a well-run second round, the Provisional Electoral Council has taken several steps. It established a 24-hour hotline, so the people can know how to vote by calling free numbers or send their identification number to a specific number to know where they go for voting.
The council also put many information about the election on its website. It also sent 500 workers to camps in Port-au-Prince to help the poor scan their ID cards to locate the voting places.
He predicted that the voting rate of the second round will be higher than the first round, which is considered as 50 percent. "Everything will be going well tomorrow morning. I think 65 percent of the voters will go to vote."
Dorsinvil also appreciated the contribution made by the Chinese peacekeeping policemen.
"United Nations Stabilization Mission in Haiti (MINUSTAH) brings all his supports to the national police to succeed the second round by ensuring security, China is a member of it," he said.
The results of the second round election will be published on March 31, and the final outcome will be ensured officially on April 16, after 8 days of public announcement.
Over a year after the destructive earthquake, Haiti is still in a state of devastation, with about 810,000 people living in tents. The spread of cholera and corruption also brings the country miserable conditions.
In such circumstances, Dorsinvil said the government and parties should encourage the people to cast the votes on Sunday, because the election can decide the country's destiny.
"The Haitian need a capable government, which can bring them a beautiful future," he said.
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