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Polls open in Haiti election amid security concerns

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Polling stations opened in Haiti early Sunday, with some 5.8 million people eligible to vote for a new president amid serious security concerns.

Low turnout is expected due to fear of violence in the impoverished Caribbean nation, which is notorious for chronic political instability.

Haiti is holding a first-round presidential vote, second-round legislative polling, and is also electing local officials, with polling stations closing at 4:00 pm (2000 GMT).

A total of 54 candidates are vying to replace President Michel Martelly, a pop singer and political novice who assumed office in 2011, the year after a catastrophic earthquake killed more than 200,000 and left upwards of 1.5 million living on the streets.

The elections are being held amid a climate of uncertainty, with many afraid of a repeat of the violence that plagued the first-round legislative elections in August, when two people were killed.

Polling stations opened in Haiti early Sunday, with some 5.8 million people eligible to vote for a new president amid serious security concerns.

Low turnout is expected due to fear of violence in the impoverished Caribbean nation, which is notorious for chronic political instability.

Haiti is holding a first-round presidential vote, second-round legislative polling, and is also electing local officials, with polling stations closing at 4:00 pm (2000 GMT).

A total of 54 candidates are vying to replace President Michel Martelly, a pop singer and political novice who assumed office in 2011, the year after a catastrophic earthquake killed more than 200,000 and left upwards of 1.5 million living on the streets.

The elections are being held amid a climate of uncertainty, with many afraid of a repeat of the violence that plagued the first-round legislative elections in August, when two people were killed.

AFP
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With 2,400 staff representing 100 different nationalities, AFP covers the world as a leading global news agency. AFP provides fast, comprehensive and verified coverage of the issues affecting our daily lives.

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