Daily Headlines: April 6, 2011

* Haiti: Defeated presidential candidate Mirlande Manigat rejected preliminary results indicating that Michel Martelly won last month’s runoff by a two-to-one margin.

* U.S.: What has been described as “San Francisco's biggest gang trial in years” opened this week with seven alleged Mara Salvatrucha members accused of bribery, violence, and murder.

* Argentina: Foreign Minister Hector Timmerman emphatically denied media reports claiming that the Argentine government may end investigating the 1994 AMIA bombing in exchange for improved ties with Iran.

* Latin America: U.S. Southern Command Gen. Douglas Fraser told a Senate panel that the U.S. is “watching closely” Iran’s growing influence in Latin America.

Image – The Telegraph (Former singer Michel Martelly reportedly won March’s runoff by a large margin over ex-first lady Mirlande Manigat.)
Online Sources- The Latin Americanist, SFGate.com, BBC News, Canadian Press, CBS News

And the winner of Haiti's presidential election…

…Will be unknown for a few more days longer than expected.

The preliminary results of the March 20th presidential runoff election between Michel Martelly and Mirlande Manigat were supposed to be announced on Thursday. Yet a problem with the vote count may be the reason why the announcement of the results will be delayed until next Monday.

According to the AP:

While not disclosing specifics, Gaillot Dorsinvil, the president of the Haiti's Provisional Electoral Council, issued a brief statement saying officials found a "high level" of fraud and irregularities of various kinds at the tabulation center in the capital, Port-au-Prince.

Dorsinvil said the discovery has prompted lawyers to adopt "more stringent verification measures," causing a delay in counting. He did not describe the alleged problems.

International observers reportedly claimed that the runoff was free of the major allegations of fraud found in the first round of voting last November. Amid accusations that President Rene Preval interfered with November's election, ruling party candidate Jude Celestin withdrew despite originally being placed in second behind Manigat.

Image- France24 (“Haitian workers demolish part of the damaged Presidential Palace on March 19, in Port-au-Prince. The announcement of Haiti's provisional presidential election results has been delayed by four days and will now take place on Monday, the electoral commission said.”)
Online Sources- The Latin Americanist, The Guardian, Reuters, Monsters and Critics

And the winner of Haiti's presidential election is...

...unknown.

The results of Sunday’s runoff between musician Michel Martelly and former First Lady Mirlande Manigat continue to be tabulated. Preliminary results are expected to be announced one week from tomorrow while the final tally will be confirmed in mid-April.

In the meantime, it appears as if the real victors are the Haitian electorate who supposedly turned out in large numbers to some voting centers. According to Euronews:

International electoral observers praised the peaceful nature of Sunday’s vote despite political turmoil over the last several months and a problematic first round last November. U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon congratulated Haiti on "the successful conduct" of the runoff while E.U. officials approved the manner in which the election was conducted.

Sunday’s vote was not devoid of problems such as polls opening late, missing voting materials and some harassment by partisan followers. Yet it has been reported that such inconveniences pale in comparison to the accusations in the first round of ballot stuffing and interference by President Rene Preval.

Former president Jean-Bertrand Aristide’s return from exile last worried U.S. diplomats but it seems as that his return did not lead to any widespread violence on Election Day. He came back to Haiti on Friday but he has since kept a low profile and rejected endorsing ether Martelly or Manigat.

The calmness after Sunday’s vote can perhaps best be explained by the stronger emphasis some media outlets seem to place on musician Wyclef Jean’s gunshot wound instead of the elections.

Video Source – Euronews via YouTube
Online Sources – AHN, The Latin Americanist, Voice of America, Caribbean360, Reuters, BBC News

Haiti: Aristide to return on Thursday?

Exiled former president Jean-Bertrand Aristide could be back in his native Haiti this week according to the AFP news agency.

"Aristide is expected this Thursday in Port-au-Prince," reportedly said an unnamed source close to the ex-president in the AFP article published Tuesday afternoon. The article also cited Aristide spokeswoman Maryse Narcisse who claimed that preparations were under way for his return before Sunday.

Aristide’s possible return from South Africa could seriously affect the Haitian presidential runoff set to take place on Sunday between musician Michel Martelly and former first lady Mirlande Manigat. Both candidates gave their reservations over Aristide; Martelly today expressed his hope that “(Aristide’s) return doesn't create instability for the elections” while Manigat said last week that she “would prefer that he comes back after the elections.”

Earlier this week U.S. State Department officials have insisted that Aristide avoid returning to Haiti until elections are over. Yet South African deputy foreign minister Marius Fransman admitted that it is “not our responsibility” to decide when Aristide can return to Haiti. Moreover, Aristide attorney Ira Kurzban told CNN last week that his client “has no interest in meddling or being involved in the election” or with Haitian politics.

Journalist Kim Ives had plenty to say about the Aristide situation in an article in The Guardian. A recent message on his Twitter account was more concise and to the point:

The Martelly & Manigat show faced with Aristide's return is like two 60 watt bulbs burning in a yard when the sun comes up after 7 years.

Aristide was overthrown on two separate occasions including in 2004 after a “popular uprising.”

Image- AP via ABC News (“Former Haitian President Jean-Bertrand Aristide seen during a press conference in Johannesburg, South Africa in this Jan. 15, 2010 file photo.”)
Online Sources- Montreal Gazette, The Independent, BBC News, AFP, Independent Online, Twitter

Daily Headlines: March 10, 2011

* Colombia: The family of a U.S. geologist killed in Colombia filed a lawsuit against Chiquita and accused the food company of hiring guerillas for security.

* Guatemala: Could Guatemala’s Sandra Torres de Colom follow in the footsteps of Argentine Cristina Fernández de Kirchner by becoming the latest First Lady turned President?

* Haiti: With ten days to go until Haitians head to the voting booth the latest polls indicate that Michel Martelly has a slim lead over rival Mirlande Manigat.

* Mexico: Details have emerged over the agreement reached last week by presidents Felipe Calderon and Barack Obama that will allow Mexican truckers to operate in the U.S.

Image – Getty Images/Luis Acosta via CBS News (Chiquita had been previously sued for allegedly hiring illegal paramilitaries to act as security at their Colombian plantations).
Online Sources- Bloomberg, BBC News, Herald Sun, CNN, The Latin Americanist

Weekend Headlines: March 5-6, 2011

* U.S.: Could a “wave of young Hispanic voters” make a difference in upcoming elections throughout the U.S.?

* Mexico: Twenty-year-old Marisol Valdes who last October became police chief of a northern Mexican town has reportedly fled across the border and sought asylum in the U.S.

* Haiti: Presidential candidate Mirlande Manigat bashed the recent resumption of deportations from the U.S. and claimed that it will “lead to an increase in Haiti's crime rate."

* Argentina: UNESCO awarded the Grandmothers of the Plaza de Mayo in recognition of the group’s efforts defending human rights.

Image – Hispanically Speaking News
Online Sources- U.N. News Center, AFP, The Atlantic, The Guardian

Daily Headlines: February 18, 2011

* Haiti: Ex-first lady Mirlande Manigat and musician Michel Martelly officially began their presidential campaigns yesterday in an anticipation of a decisive runoff on March 20.

* Venezuela: Assistant Secretary of State Arturo Valenzuela claimed at a Senate hearing on Thursday that Venezuelan influence in Latin America is “in marked decline.”

* Honduras: Fifteen Cuban migrants were detained after traveling by sea over twelve days and then landing on a Honduran beach.

* Peru: Peruvian farmers will send samples of 1500 potato types to Norway’s “doomsday” seed vault for safeguarding.

Image – Eduardo Munoz/Reuters via CBC News (“Presidential candidates Michel Martelly, left, and Mirlande Manigat, right, attend a ceremony in Port-au-Prince on Jan. 13. The two will contest a run-off election on March 20.”)
Online Sources- AFP, MSNBC, LAHT, BBC News

Daily Headlines: February 4, 2011

* Haiti: The country’s electoral commission ruled against permitting government-backed candidate Jude Celestin to participate in next month’s second round of presidential elections.

* Colombia: A U.S. appeals court reopened a lawsuit alleging that the Drummond mining firm hired paramilitaries to kill three Colombian union activists.

* Chile: Energy could soon be rationed due to a variety of factors including a dry spell causing decreased hydroelectric output.

* Venezuela: The number of cholera cases in Venezuela has increased to 239 though there has yet to be a reported fatality.

Video Source – Reuters (Ex-first lady Mirlande Manigat will face musician Michel Martelly in the March 16th runoff election for the Haitian presidency).
Online Sources- CNN, Reuters, ABC News, Xinhua