Haitian Voters Brave Chaos and Cholera

After weeks of anticipation, Haitian citizens braved unruly crowds and a nationwide epidemic yesterday to cast their ballots for the next president. By 2 p.m., 11 of the 19 candidates were already demanding an annulment. Many voters were unable to find their names on the registries, and some were suspected of voting multiple times for candidate Jude Célestin. Meanwhile, Célestin faced his own obstacles when he arrived at his local polling station: although his likeness was printed on every ballot, the photo on his I.D. card didn't match the image in the voter registry, and he was forced to vote by provisional ballot. Despite the confusion, no major violence broke out at the polls or on the streets. In that sense, at least, Haiti's election day was a dubious success.