UNITED NATIONS, Feb. 14 (UPI) -- The U.N. Security Council urges all parties in Haiti to remain calm while final results of the recent election are being certified.
The council also called Haiti's balloting a major step towards re-establishing representative government following the ouster of former President Jean-Bertrand Aristide in a 2004 armed revolt.
"Members of the council express their expectation that the counting of ballots and the remaining steps in the electoral process mandated by Haitian law will continue to be transparent and meet international standards," Ambassador John Bolton of the United States, council president for February, told reporters Monday. "They strongly urge all parties to respect the results of the election and refrain from violence."
The 15-member panel called on Haitian political leaders to live up to the high expectations of their people at this critical juncture by demonstrating statesmanship and moderation in the process of national reconciliation, Bolton said.
The envoys reiterated their full support for efforts of the 9,500-strong U.N. Stabilization Mission in Haiti, known as MINUSTAH, and the transitional government to ensure a secure and stable environment in Haiti, he said.
The peacekeeping mission urged Haitians Sunday to remain calm and await final election results, as many of the supporters of leading presidential candidate Rene Preval demonstrated on the streets of Haiti's capital, Port-au-Prince, for the third consecutive day, demanding a declaration that he was the winner.
