Haiti elections slated for Feb 7

PORT-AU-PRINCE - Haiti's electoral authorities have set a new date for an oft-delayed presidential election.

They said yesterday that the first round of the chaos-bedevilled ballot would take place on February 7, as the United Nations has demanded.

The announcement came a day after the commander of UN forces in the strife-torn country put a bullet through his brain.

There was no immediate word on why he might have taken his life.

The election was supposed to take place yesterday after having been repeatedly delayed since November.

But the council cancelled the vote a week ago without announcing a new date, earning the impoverished Caribbean country a rebuke from the United Nations and the Organisation of American States.

"For us this schedule is official and final.

"We discussed it with the Government, which has no objection," Rosemond Pradel, secretary-general of the Provisional Electoral Council, said.

It will be the first election since President Jean-Bertrand Aristide was chased from office by an armed revolt and civic pressure in February 2004, accused of corruption and increasing despotism.

A run-off vote, if none of the 34 candidates registered for the presidential election win an outright majority, will occur on March 19 and a vote for local government officials will take place on April 30.

- REUTERS