Rene Preval has been declared the winner with 51 percent.
We have reached a solution to the problem. We feel a huge satisfaction at having liberated the country from a truly difficult situation.
If it is materially and technically impossible, as is the case today, to hold these elections on January 8th, do you think we should go ahead and organize a farce?
We finally decided to organize the second round on April 21, which is a Friday, for practical reasons.
We need a high level of participation so this election will be considered legitimate.
We won't be able to fix all the problems in time for February 7. It would take us four or six months to correct them.
Voting operations (in the countryside) are normal, with some exceptions.
We have to face the hard reality that the elections cannot be held on January 8th and that the necessary corrections should be made to ensure the holding of a credible vote.
Mr Rene Garcia Preval is credited with 51.15 per cent of the votes based on 96 per cent of voting stations counted, and is declared the winner.
Now that the president has been elected, the political interests at stake during the legislative vote are huge.
