PORT-AU-PRINCE, (Reuters) – Haiti’s ruling party, under intense international pressure, said yesterday it had agreed to pull its presidential candidate out of disputed elections, but the candidate himself had not yet formally withdrawn.
The withdrawal of Jude Celestin, candidate for the ruling INITE coalition of outgoing Haitian President Rene Preval, would allow opposition candidate and popular musician Michel Martelly to move into a second-round run-off vote.
This was the recommendation advanced, with heavy pressure from the United Nations and western donors, by a team of experts from the Organization of American States, who challenged preliminary