CaptionRené Préval supporters celebrate near the Presidential Palace as unofficial word of his victory spreads. Haitians went to the polls in February, for the first elections since President Jean-Bertrand Aristide was ousted in 2004. The elections passed relatively calmly, though some violence erupted over a long delay in announcing results, and after early reports indicated that favorite René Préval had not reached the 50% of poll needed to prevent a March run-off. Later it was declared that Préval, a former ally of President Aristide, had indeed won with 51.15% of votes.
