Port-Au-Prince, Haiti (CNN) -- With potential for unrest looming, Haitians waited anxiously Tuesday to hear results of the presidential vote held more than a week ago.
Election authorities must decide how to finish final counting amid charges of widespread fraud and ensuing demonstrations, some violent.
Results are expected some time Tuesday.
A candidate must win more than a 50 percent majority to be declared the winner. Otherwise, a January 16 runoff will be held to decide who will lead this Caribbean nation struggling to recover from years of dictatorship and poverty compounded earlier this year by a devastating earthquake and a current cholera epidemic that has now sickened almost 100,000 people.
The ballot listed 19 candidates but three have emerged as front-runners -- one who is allied closely with the current President Rene Preval and two who seemed at first glance unlikely political candidates.
Preval, who is barred from seeking another term, has grown increasingly unpopular with Haitians frustrated by the lack of progress since the quake.
Preval handpicked Jude Celestin, who headed the state construction company, as his successor.
But former first lady Mirlande Manigat and popular musician Michel Martelly have emerged as front-runners.
"There has been massive, massive fraud. We want to make sure the people's vote is respected," Martelly said as he waited to hear the results.
The OAS-CARICOM Joint Election Observation Mission said it has maintained a presence in the vote tabulation center and is continuing to observe the process.
"This coming phase in the electoral process requires a peaceful and serene atmosphere where the candidates and political parties can take advantage of the legal remedies provided by the Electoral Law," the mission said. CNN
