Port-Au-Prince, Haiti (CNN) -- The front-runner in Haiti's presidential race denounced Sunday's national elections, calling for a complete annulment of the vote due to irregularities and ballot-box stuffing.
"I am asking my country's citizens, I am asking the Conseil Electoral Provisor, the government, and I'm telling the international community that as the leading candidate I'm asking for the formal cancellation of the elections," Mirlande Manigat told CNN.
At the same time, at least 11 other presidential candidates were gathering at a hotel in Port-au-Prince for what the campaign of contender Michel Martally billed as a press conference "to denounce today's massive fraud all over the country".
Before taking the stage to issue a joint communique with his fellow presidential contenders, candidate Leslie Voltaire told CNN that the election was "just like the cholera," referring to the epidemic spreading across the country.
"We have since this morning (witnessed) other elements which convince us that an operation is in play now in Haiti in order to jeopardize the election itself," said Manigat, who later joined the other candidates for the afternoon press conference.
Her campaign manager, Wimine St. Pierre, told CNN that Manigat "is asking to void the election across the entire territory of the country because of irregularities and the ballot boxes were already stuffed with votes for Jude Celestin," the hand-picked candidate of outgoing President Rene Preval. CNN
