Haiti delays presidential runoff

By Moni Basu, CNN

STORY HIGHLIGHTS

NEW: Musician Michel Martelly, who came in third, wants to be in presidential runoff
Results from the first round of voting have not been finalized
Electoral council in Haiti awaits a review by the Organization of American States
The November election was marred with allegations of fraud

(CNN) -- Haitian officials, awaiting a review of preliminary election results, have postponed a runoff vote, originally scheduled for January 16, to decide the troubled nation's next president.

Results from the first round of voting on November 28 have not been finalized.

Preliminary results released in early December gave former first lady Mirlande Manigat a win with the governing party candidate Jude Celestin in second place. Popular musician Michel Martelly came in third, disqualifying him from the runoff, but allegations of fraud and disorganization hailed from all corners.

In the days that followed, violent protests erupted on the streets of Port-au-Prince and other Haitian cities and threw the nation, already reeling from earthquake devastation and a cholera outbreak, into further chaos.

Martelly told CNN he believed he had defeated Celestin and accused the electoral council of manipulating votes.

He said Wednesday that he welcomed a chance to enter a runoff.

"A second round of voting between Michel Martelly and Mirlande Manigat will reflect the voice of the people," he said, adding that he was optimistic a review under way by a team from the Organization of American States will reflect the true results of the vote.

"My point is that it does't really matter when the second round of voting will take place," he said. "We don't want to rush into something and find out it is not legitimate."

Haiti's Provisional Electoral Council is awaiting the results of a review by a verification team from the Organization of American States.

Colin Granderson, chief of the OAS team, said Wednesday that the review will not be ready until this weekend.

"It will not be possible to hold the election January 16," he said.

Haiti's constitution mandates a new presidential term starting on February 7. It is unclear whether that will happen.

President Rene Preval has grown unpopular among Haitians, who perceive a lack of progress in the months after last January's massive earthquake. The campaign headquarters of Celestin, Preval's protege, was burned down a day after the preliminary results were announced.