René Préval Lespwa Michel Martelly Repons Peyizan General elections were held in Haiti on 28 November 2010, having originally been scheduled for 28 February.

Official results, announced on 21 April 2011, showed Michel Martelly defeating Mirlande Manigat in the second round of the presidential election.

[9] The list of presidential candidates was to have become official on August 17 after the nine-member provisional electoral council was to announce the eligibility criteria.

[10] However, the election commission postponed its ruling until August 19 because of disagreement on the electoral law which stipulates that candidates must hold a Haitian passport and have five consecutive years of residence in Haiti, among other requirements.

Peter Hallward explained: "The final FL list of candidates was endorsed by the party leader (Jean Bertrand Aristide) by fax, but at the last minute the CEP invented a new requirement, knowing FL would be unable to meet it: Aristide, still exiled in South Africa and denied entry to Haiti, would have to sign the list in person.

His aides said he would officially announce his candidacy on CNN in the United States before flying back to Haiti to enter the race.

Some analysts predicted Jean's popularity with the youth of Haiti could help him "easily win the presidential election if his candidacy were approved.

It would kind of be like Arnold Schwarzenegger only speaking Austrian and being elected president of the United States after New York City and L.A. had burned to the ground...I think he is a great musician and he really passionately cares about Haiti.

He argued that he could not comply with the law so strictly because President René Préval had appointed him as a roving ambassador in 2007 and he was allowed to travel and live outside the country.

[10] Other candidates included Axan Abellard, Charles Voigt, Claire Lydie Parent, Déjean Bélizaire, Duroseau Vilaire Cluny, Eric Charles, Francois Turnier, Garaudy Laguerre, Gary Guiteau, Genard Joseph, Gerard Blot, Guy Theodore, Jacques Philippe Eugene, Jean Bertin, Jean Hector Anacacis, Josette Bijou, Kesnel Dalmacy, Leon Jeune, Mario Eddy Rodriguez, Menelas Vilsaint, Olicier Pieriche, Rene Saint-Fort, Wilkens C. Gilles, Yves Cristalin, and Paul Arthur Fleurival.

President René Préval told the UN, "It is important that we take this difficult process to a conclusion, with rigour, equality, and transparency, essential conditions for consolidating our young democracy.

"[30] Two issues for candidates to answer were considered rebuilding from the earthquake earlier in the year and an outbreak of cholera less than two months before the election, which was blamed on the United Nations by many Haitians.

[35] Some questioned whether Haiti was ready to hold an election following the earthquake that left more than a million people in makeshift camps and without IDs.

It wanted a firm commitment to holding elections by the end of the year as domestic opposition grew to incumbent President René Préval's response to the earthquake.

[37] Due to the elections and allegedly accepted instability, Haitian security services were given special training by foreign forces.

This was greeted with protesters in Port-au-Prince carrying banners reading "Down with the occupation," and burning the flag of Brazil, as they had the largest contingent in MINUSTAH.

Despite months of relative calm after the earthquake, this represented a "chorus of opposition to René Préval, Haiti's president, and to UN forces.

[45] Pierre-Louis Opont, the director general of the Provisional Electoral Council said: "It will be materially impossible to hold the run-off on January 16.

[48] Additionally, some analyses showed that the OAS report was statistically flawed and made the recommendation to eliminate Célestin with no apparent justification.

In a January 2011 report, the Center for Economic and Policy Research concluded that 71.5% of the eligible Haitian population did not vote during the first round of the election on November 28, 2010.

The high rate of irregular votes led the CEPR to conclude that no statistics-based, non-arbitrary selection of a second-place candidate was possible.