THOUGHT MERCHANT'S POSTEROUS

By INGRID ARNESEN

PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti—The Organization of American States said Haiti's presidential election should be considered valid despite a host of problems, giving a big boost to the government and election authorities here.

The judgement from the main international observers of the election could dampen claims of widespread fraud made by a majority of the 18 candidates that took part in Sunday's vote.

The election was also marred by disorganization, sporadic violence and incorrect voting lists.

"As serious as some of the irregularities were, they did not invalidate the electoral process," said Colin Granderson, head of the election observer mission to Haiti from the OAS, which counts all independent countries of the Americas as its members.

On Monday, ten candidates joined together to say the vote should be canceled, claiming itvote was rigged to help the ruling Inite Party's candidate, Jude Celestin, a party bureaucrat.

The Haitian government, Mr. Celestin, and electoral authorities didn't respond to the allegations.

Late on Sunday, election officials said the vote had gone well in general terms, citing problems in just 56 of some 1,500 voting stations. It said it would announce the results in the coming days.

Given the crowded field, it is likely the election will go to a runoff in January between the top two finishers.

The confusion surrounding the vote was a bad sign for a country still reeling from last January's devastating earthquake and struggling to contain a deadly cholera epidemic.

Haiti also has a long history of political instability and violence.

Sporadic protests flared Sunday, but had died down by Monday. Yet most people remained off the streets amid fears of violence.

One leading contender, popular rap singer-turned-politician Michel "Sweet Micky" Martelly, held a news conference on Monday to announce that he was the likely victor—though a day earlier he had called for the vote to be suspended. He didn't say how he reached his conclusion.

The Haitian people "made their choice. We request that the (election authority) respect the choice of the population," he said.

Mr. Martelly appealed for Haitians to remain calm, while warning that the government "should understand clearly that the population is ready to fight for its rights."

On Sunday, Mr. Martelly joined 11 other candidates in calling for the election to be suspended. But he and another leading contender, former first lady Mirlande Manigat, didn't show up to Monday's news conference by the remaining 10 candidates protesting the vote.

Many Haitians were despondent after a vote plagued by problems, especially flawed voter lists that left many people unable to cast a ballot.

Antenor Joseph, a 44-year-old truck driver, said he regretted having voted at all. "This was a bad start. I voted but now I regret it because the elections are spoiled. I don't see any winner here," he said.

Bob Maguire, a Haiti expert and professor of international relations at Trinity Washington University in Washington, said the international community should take the lead in the coming days to investigate the allegations of fraud and ensure the next government in Haiti has legitimacy.

"I think we learned that not holding elections in New Orleans soon after Katrina was the right decision. The logistics were just really daunting for the Haitians," he said.