PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti, Feb. 7 (UPI) -- Thousands of Haitians turned out Tuesday for national elections choosing a new president and parliament.
Polls opened at 6 a.m. local time, though many polling places opened late and there were long lines of would-be voters.
Security was stepped up ahead of the elections. Some 9,000 U.N. peacekeepers have been in Haiti since shortly after the departure of the country's last president Jean-Bertrand Aristide, who left in 2004 amid an armed rebellion.
Since then Haiti has been ruled by an interim government. Elections were postponed four times due to planning difficulties and security concerns.
The two leading contenders for the presidency are Rene Preval, a former Aristide loyalist, and businessman Charles Henry Baker.
If no candidate wins a majority of the vote a runoff election will be scheduled.
