Haiti – Elections: Thousands of Préval supporters take to the streets

Port-au-Prince, 03 Nov. 05 [AlterPresse] --- Thousands of supporters and sympathizers of the former Lavalas president René Préval demonstrated in Port-au-Prince this Thursday, 3 November, to call for him to return to power.

The demonstrators, accompanied by a roots music band on a float, came from various popular districts including Gran Ravin, Cité Soleil, La Saline, Bel-Air and Delmas 2.

The different branches of this demonstration merged at the intersection of the Delmas Road and the Airport Route, before moving, in a tightly-packed procession, in the direction of the headquarters of the Provisional Electoral Council (Conseil Électoral Provisoire (CEP).

There, the Lavalas supporters and sympathizers portrayed Préval as the one who is going to facilitate the “return” to Haiti of former president Jean Bertrand Aristide, who will release the “political prisoners”, and who will offer a “better tomorrow” to the popular masses.

This outpouring of Préval supporters onto the streets took place just 48 hours after the Provisional Electoral Council allocated numbers to each of the political parties (and to Charles Henri Baker, the only independent) which are contesting the presidential election.

Rene Préval, who is running for president under the banner of the political platform, Lespwa, composed of the Party Louvri Baryè (PLB) and other political organizations, drew number 1. This symbolically loaded number is delighting the former Lavalas president’s supporters.

Préval supporters had organized a similar demonstration, with several strands, in Port-au-Prince, on 21 October, the eve of the official launch day of Préval’s election campaign. [vs fl gp apr 03/11/2005 17:40]

translated from French by Charles Arthur for the Haiti Support Group

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Forwarded as a service of the Haiti Support Group – solidarity with the Haitian people’s struggle for human rights, participatory democracy and equitable development – since 1992.

Web site: http://www.haitisupport.gn.apc.org