Haiti vote 'valid' despite flaws

[ChangoLoa]

Source: AlJazeera

International observers said Haiti's elections could be considered valid despite "irregularities" that generated violent protests and charges of fraud.

The joint observer mission from the Organisation of American States/Caribbean Community said that although there had been widespread problems, including acts of violence and intimidation and poor organisation blocking many people from voting, this was not enough to doom the polls.

"The joint mission does not believe that these irregularities, serious as some were, necessarily invalidated the process," Colin Granderson, head of the 118-member mission said on Monday.

Twelve of the 18 presidential contenders in Sunday's polls called for their invalidation after claiming that "massive fraud" had been designed to help Jude Celestin, the preferred successor of Rene Preval, the current president.

Read more: http://english.aljazeera.net/news/americas/2010/11/2010113042640574104.html