What is the issue with "blank ballots"?
I totally fail to see how people stood in lines for hours, some lines longer than a mile and then did not mark their ballot? Ring any bells?
Posted on Sun, Feb. 12, 2006
HAITIAN ELECTION How Preval might change Haiti
On the cusp of winning Haiti's presidency without a runoff, René Preval now must step out of the shadow of his mentor, former leader Jean-Bertrand Aristide.BY JOE MOZINGOjmozingo@MiamiHerald.com
MARMELADE, Haiti -
The man Haitians overwhelmingly picked to lead their country out of turmoil is a quiet agronomist of modest means, average human frailties and a hint of mischief -- a notable contrast to the hubris and burning rhetoric that has defined Haiti's bloody history.
René Préval, 63, entered the race long after the other well-known candidates. The man who was president from 1996 to 2001 made no campaign promises. He did not attack his opponents. And he only recently began speaking publicly.
On Saturday, the official tally gave him 49.6 percent of the votes, with 72 percent of the stations counted. But foreign electoral officials said an independent survey showed Préval received 54 percent of the vote, although the survey has yet to be adjusted for blank ballots, which could reduce each candidate's percentage points slightly.
Préval supporters marched past the National Palace to proclaim his victory. The second-place candidate, former President Leslie Manigat, had a mere 11.58 percent. But with 32 contenders in the race, electoral officials couldn't say whether Préval got the 50 percent needed to avoid a runoff.
More at:
http://www.miami.com/mld/miamiherald/13851628.htm