election day

I am currently working on something a little more polished to post later, but I thought I'd take a couple of minutes to talk about the elections that just took place here.

I spent all of Sunday with my my friends Ben and Frank, chasing election coverage. I'm very glad that I went. On a personal level, it was interesting to be out in the thick of things, when normally I try to stay out of the way of potential trouble. Not to say that we were necessarily looking for trouble, but they are both photographers and, let's face it, trouble often makes for interesting pictures. I've posted a couple of my own below (definitely not a professional photographer).

The elections, from my perspective, were a total mess. Take a look at just about any news update about them and you'll read about the same problems -- polls opening late and closing early, stuffed ballot boxes, people being turned away because they couldn't find their names on lists, sometimes violent demonstrations at voting centers, and more.

By midday, 12 of the 19 candidates had called a press conference calling for the annulment of the elections based on massive fraud. Demonstrators took to the streets as people went home without being able to vote, frustrated and disgusted. It was over before it even started.

The Organization of American States, the Provisional Electoral Council (the Haitian body governing the elections), and other organizations overseeing the process all cited some "irregularities," but were emphatic in saying that they were not enough to merit annulment. I went to a press conference yesterday where Wyclef Jean and Michelle Martelly (also known as Sweet Micky, one of the front-runners) spoke out against the fraudulent elections, calling for a rapid resolution to the problems.

At this point, things have stayed mostly under control, but I'm not counting on it to stay that way. We haven't heard the results of the elections, and probably won't for about another week. I'll be sure to keep the blog updated as soon as we hear more news. And, as I mentioned, I'm trying to finish up a more precise account of what I saw in the next couple of days, and I'll be sure to post that here.

As promised, here are a few photos:

Supporters of Michelle Martelly, "Sweet Micky," take to the streets to root for their man as well as protest the fraudulent elections. I led this march through the streets for a good hour, as Frank and Ben jumped in and out of the car to take pictures.

A voter attempts to find his name on the list. Many people were not successful in doing so.

Voters line up outside of a high school in Petionville, where I started off my day.

Inside the same school, waiting for a chance to vote.

A view from the third floor of that same school. Nothing to do with the elections, but it's a great little shot of Port-au-Prince. A tent city in the foreground; the big, rich houses of Petionville in the upper left; and in the upper right one of the many poor communities that climb into the hills, house on top of house.

Election observers counting ballots before the polls opened. I was wondering if some of them were even old enough to vote.