Black Habits - Eager voters cause chaos

(The Associated Press) Scuffles broke out and polling stations opened hours late yesterday as masses of Haitians waited to vote under the protection of United Nations peacekeepers crouching behind machine-guns and patrolling in armoured vehicles.

Outside the gang-controlled Cite Soleil slum, frustrated voters chanted, “It’s time for Cite Soleil to vote!”

The turnout for the vote — called a key step toward steering this bloodied, impoverished country away from collapse — overwhelmed electoral officials.

At dawn, when the 800 polling stations were supposed to open, it immediately became apparent the day would not go smoothly. In the upscale Petionville suburb of the capital, crowds stormed a voting station.

Election officials extended the voting period by several hours. Government officials sought to maintain calm, assuring Haitians that everyone would have a chance to vote.

Most voters waited patiently in lines for hours, but some angrily roamed the streets, fuming at being turned away because of a myriad of problems.

“If these elections are not fair and if the person whom the population wants doesn’t win, houses will burn and heads will be cut off,” said Jean Pierre, an unemployed 33- year-old man who would not give his last name. - The Associated Press