Haiti commission recommends throwing out results of presidential vote
PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti (AP) — A special verification commission on Monday recommended throwing out the disputed results of Haiti’s first-round presidential election because it appeared to be tainted by fraud.
Commission President Pierre Francois Benoit said there were far too many ‘‘zombie votes’’ and other problems in the Oct. 25 presidential balloting to be considered legitimate. He said some tally sheets from polling stations had fingerprints that appeared to be from a single person.
‘‘We recommend that the presidential election be done over,’’ Benoit said on the grounds of the National Palace, where the commissioners handed over their report to Haiti’s interim president.
One dead as heavy rains pound Haiti
PORT AU PRINCE, Haiti (CMC) — One man has been confirmed dead and three others injured during heavy rains that battered the country between Thursday and Friday.
According to weather reports, the combination of a tropical wave over the Caribbean Sea in the vicinity of The Bahamas and an altitude trough influenced weather conditions over the French-speaking Caribbean Community member state.
The West Department was most affected, in particular in the municipalities of Léogâne, Arcahaie, Carrefour and Cité Soleil, where 2,901 homes were flooded and over three thousand families affected.
As a result of flooding, a wall collapsed in the district of Desmichel, killing a young man believed to be in his twenties, and injuring three others — one seriously.
Haitian authors, dancers featured at Miami Book Fair event
The Haitian-Caribbean Book Fair over the weekend brought in authors and publishers from Haiti and the Caribbean to the Little Haiti Cultural Complex, where the public was treated to author readings, workshops and cultural performances, the Miami Herald reported.
Jan Mapou, who owns the Haitian bookstore, Liberi Mapou, facilitated the fourth annual event, calling it a “celebration,” after the city of Miami last week named Little Haiti an official Miami neighborhood.
“It’s a success,” he said of the fair, “because the whole community is involved, not just Haitians.”
Miami Book Fair helped with the logistics and some of the programming for the event. Mapou said he’s excited that the Haitian-Caribbean Book Fair will join forces once again with the Miami Book Fair in November, where renowned Haitian authors will get exposure during the eight-day event.