A man has died during demonstrations in Haiti over the result of the country's presidential election, according to reports reaching Mexico City from the country's capital, Port-au-Prince.
Television pictures from the city showed the body of a man wearing a bloodied T-shirt with a picture of election candidate Rene Preval, a former Haitian president who still enjoys widespread support among the poor.
A UN spokesman denied claims by demonstrators that a member of the UN Stabilization Force in Haiti (MINUSTAH) had shot at protesters. The troops had only fired two shots in the air, he said.
There were also reports that several people were wounded in the turmoil.
Preval followers used wrecked cars, rocks and burning tires to block major avenues, police said. Traffic in the capital has been paralyzed and all flights have been cancelled because of the protests.
The demonstrators were protesting against the election's partial results, which show Rene Preval has narrowly missed the 50 percent he needs to be elected president. They demanded that Preval be declared president immediately and claimed the vote count was fraudulent.
A police station was smashed by protesters and the headquarters of the MINUSTAH was attacked.
(Xinhua News Agency February 15, 2006)
