Activists in Miami’s Haitian community called a press conference Tuesday morning to denounce Haiti’s controversial Aug. 9 parliamentary elections, which they called "a sham."
Farah Juste, a Haitian singer and the Fanmi Lavalas political party coordinator for Florida and the Bahamas, said the Haitian government should annul the election results after reports of violence, deaths and tampering in polling places.
"The parliament elections are very important for the country. We don’t want a parliament that is in peril. We want a real parliament," she said at the press conference.
Tony Jeanthenor, a member of Haitian rights group Veye Yo, said the elections were disrupted to benefit Haiti President Michel Martelly.
"What happened in Haiti on Aug. 9 was not an election; it was a selection of in favor of Sweet Micky," he said referring to Martelly by his konpa artist name.
The Haitian government has said while there were some irregularities and disturbances related to the elections, they were minor.
