Haiti: Jovenel Moïse Confirmed Presidential Poll Winner

The Provisional Electoral Council on January 3, 2017, cleared last November’s presidential vote of any fraud.

After over a year of political stalemate, Haiti now looks set for stability following the conclusion of last November’s electoral dispute. The Provisional Electoral Council on January 3, 2017, declared Jovenel Moïse of the centre-right Haitian Tet Kale Party, winner of the November 2016 presidential election. The BBC said the 48-year-old banana exporter was elected with 55.6 per cent of the vote, defeating 26 other candidates in an election re-run from 2015 that was repeatedly postponed.

The electoral tribunal confirmed last November’s preliminary results, dismissing allegations of “massive fraud.” Jovenel’s closest rival, Jude Celestin, had 19.5 of the vote. The President-elect, who was backed by his predecessor, Michel Martelly, is expected to take office by 7 February. The election was held on November 20, 2016, more than a year after the previous poll was annulled following allegations of widespread fraud. The election, in Oct...