Haitian general election, 2010
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General elections were held in Haiti on 28 November 2010, having originally been scheduled for 28 February. Ten senators and all 99 deputies were to be elected.
Presidential elections were also held. A run-off was originally scheduled for 16 January as no candidate received 50% of the votes cast. However, it was postponed until 20 March 2011 as election officials said they could not hold the runoff while awaiting results from re-polling, with results expected on 31 March.
Official results, announced on 21 April 2011, showed Michel Martelly defeating Mirlande Manigat in the second round of the presidential election.
Due to the January 2010 earthquake, election was indefinitely postponed; although November 28 was then decided as the date to hold the presidential and legislative elections. Following the earthquake, there were concerns of instability in the country, and the election came amid international pressure over instability in the country. The election was termed in the media as a "seismic" one. This would be the third democratic election in Haitian history.
The deadline to file candidacy for the elections was August 7.
The list of presidential candidates was to have become official on August 17 after the nine-member provisional electoral council was to announce the eligibility criteria. However, the election commission postponed its ruling until August 19 because of disagreement on the electoral law which stipulates that candidates must hold a Haitian passport and have five consecutive years of residence in Haiti, among other requirements. This was to affect Wyclef Jean, Jacques Edouard Alexis, and Leslie Voltaire.
The absence of the Fanmi Lavalas (FL) party was notable because of its popular support. Peter Hallward explained: "The final FL list of candidates was endorsed by the party leader (Jean Bertrand Aristide) by fax, but at the last minute the CEP invented a new requirement, knowing FL would be unable to meet it: Aristide, still exiled in South Africa and denied entry to Haiti, would have to sign the list in person."
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