About 2,000 partisans and supporters of the Former President Jean-Bertrand Aristide have demonstrated Friday in the streets of the capital Port-au-Prince, demanding the return of their leader in Haiti. The demonstration, brought together the personalities of Fanmi Lavalas and OP leaders, has started in Bel Air, toured the city before ending at the Champs-de mars, in front of the Presidential Palace where the police had installed safety barriers to prevent overflows from protesters.

The demonstrators, mostly young, carrying placards where we could read "We want Aristide in Haiti", "Welcome back President Aristide", "we wait you Titid", "Vive the return of Aristide", while others brandished portraits of the former president in exile in South Africa since February 2004. The demonstrators also denounced the interference of the international community in Haitian affairs.

"The United States did not have to decide whether or not the President Aristide must return" has declared René Civil, one of the leaders of Fanmi Lavalas, which warned that if the President Preval and foreign countries do not facilitate the return of Aristide, the Aristide supporters would mobilize and might prevent the holding of the second round "Today was a warm-up" has precised the Lavalas leader.

Maryse Narcisse, spokeswoman of the former president, has demanded the cancellation of the election on November 28 and the inclusion in the electoral process of all political parties including Fanmi Lavalas. The organizers of the demonstration, have threatened, if they did not get satisfaction, to disrupt the second round of the presidential election on March 20, while the demonstrators chanted in Creole "Without return, there will be no second round"

The demonstration, took place in a festive atmosphere and ended without incident. The crowd peacefully in the presence of the anti riot police and UN peacekeepers.

HL/ HaitiLibre