Haiti: Legislative elections to go to second round

The vast majority of races in Haiti's legislative election in August will have to go to a second round, the national electoral commission said Monday.

In fact, in the voting for the 119-seat Chamber of Deputies, only eight candidates won outright, the tribunal said.

And in races for 20 senate seats at stake, only two got through the first round of balloting in the Americas' poorest country.

The election was held on August 9. These results were three weeks late in being announced.

Turnout on Election Day was just 18 per cent.

Because of violence on Election Day, the voting will be held all over again in 24 of the country's 119 electoral districts, the election commission said.

Haiti suffers from chronic instability and has struggled to recover from a devastating 2010 earthquake that killed more than 250,000 people and crippled the nation's infrastructure.

Its parliament was dissolved on January 13, 2015 after lawmakers' terms were not extended, and the legislative chambers have remained empty for months.

This was the first election held in Haiti since President Michel Martelly took power in 2011.

First round presidential voting is scheduled for October 25.

The second round of legislative elections will also be held that day.