In the earthquake- and cholera-ravaged country of Haiti, residents voted Sunday in the most important elections in years.

Within hours of the election’s start, chaos and confusion erupted at the polling places, and protesters took to the streets around the Caribbean nation.

Although it was quiet Monday, it remains unsettled, says Eva DeHart with For Haiti With Love Mission. “Rosaline DeHart’s description was that there were manifestations absolutely everywhere. Apparently, Cap Haitien was one of the last places to erupt, but it was just everywhere. It was all over the country.”

The atmosphere was electric going into the polls. DeHart notes that “the combination of what’s going on and the stress from all that they’ve been through in the last year is all coming to a head.”

United Nations officials expressed concern about voting disruptions. Eva DeHart explains, “Word on the street was that people went to vote, their names were not on the list even though they had registered, and the ballot boxes were already full; so there’s a lot of accusations of fraud.”

The growing outcry was stoked further when 12 of the 19 presidential candidates called for the cancellation of the election, denounced the outgoing President, and accused him of a conspiracy to hand the presidency to his party’s candidate, Jude Celestin…

Results are expected by December 7. If no presidential candidate wins a majority of votes, a run-off election will be scheduled for January 16.

Read More: http://mnnonline.org/article/15024