Haitian police on alert as vote is counted

Police patrolled the streets and businesses boarded up windows yesterday as Haitians awaited the delayed preliminary results from last month's presidential election.

The extra police presence was intended to prevent a repeat of the violence that followed the December announcement of the apparent winners from the first round.

Haiti's electoral council was scheduled to announce the preliminary count of votes in the race that featured the musician Michel Martelly against former first lady Mirlande Manigat.