Haitian electoral officials were still tallying the results of the country's chaotic presidential elections late Monday night but the rumor mill was working overtime and candidates were already declaring themselves winners.
``The people have voted; we know the tendency,'' Michel Martelly, a popular musician known as ``Sweet Micky,'' said at a morning press conference. ``We will not stand with our mouths closed.''
``We have all of our tally sheets from all across the country in our possession, and we know we are ahead,'' a confident Jude Célestin told The Miami Herald on Monday in his first sit-down interview with the foreign press since the campaign began.
Preliminary results for the Nov. 28 election are expected to be announced Tuesday but they may not provide much clarity and may result in a runoff election -- or even possible violence.
Célestin, Haitian President René Préval's hand-picked candidate, has spent the last few days making the rounds meeting with key players, including members of the international community. He said he is confident that his INITE (UNITY) coalition has won not only the presidency but picked up legislative seats.
A dozen opposition candidates, including Martelly, have already accused INITE of trying to steal the vote to make Célestin president.
For days now, workers at a tabulation center have been reviewing tally sheets, setting aside suspicious ones for elimination.
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