Haitians began voting Sunday for a new president in a contest heaving with 54 candidates as fear of violence threatened to keep turnout low.

The impoverished Caribbean nation, notorious for chronic political instability, is also holding second-round legislative elections and is voting for local officials.

The polls are held in a climate of uncertainty, with many afraid of a repeat of the violence that plagued the first-round legislative elections in August when two people were killed.

Despite Haiti's propensity for election violence, -- police will deploy 10,000 officers, backed by 5,000 from the UN peacekeeping force MINUSTAH -- many people were in a buoyant mood in the run-up to the election.
There was something of a carnival atmosphere in the days before the vote, with candidates embarking on colorful parades and processions in the capital Port-au-Prince and elsewhere in a last-gasp bid to grab a few more votes.

This first-round presidential vote is the only one of several recent elections in Haiti -- the poorest country in the Americas -- to take place on schedule.

It comes nearly five years after President Michel Martelly came to power at the helm of a country that has failed to find democratic stability since the end of the 30-year Duvalier dictatorship in 1986.
The pop singer and political novice assumed office in 2011, the year after a catastrophic earthquake killed more than 200,000 and left upwards of 1.5 million living on the streets.

The magnitude 7.0 quake flattened most buildings in the capital, including the presidential palace, and five years on more than 85,000 people still live in makeshift camps, according to Amnesty International.
- 'Dire conditions' -
One of the few candidates to emerge from the crowded presidential field is Jude Celestin, of the LAPEH party, who was eliminated from the second round in the controversial 2010 vote following a recount by the Organization of American States and is considered the frontrunner this time.
"This time they will not steal the election," supporter Lucksenson Morel said at a noisy rally.

But there is also a groundswell of support in some areas for Maryse Narcisse, a physician and longtime activist of the Fanmi Lavalas party.

Narcisse has the powerful and very public backing of former president Jean-Bertrand Aristide -- and for some Haitians, that is enough. Aristide, a divisive figure who returned from exile in 2011, is revered among the many poor in the capital.
- Democratic progress? -
But the abundance of presidential hopefuls is not a sign of democratic health, experts say.

A dozen or so of the candidates are former lawmakers or leaders of established political parties, but many others are unknowns to the average Haitian and the month of campaigning has been lackluster.

Only a handful of candidates have even released a platform outlining what they plan to do if elected.

The elections, which include everything from presidential to local races, have created something of a logistical headache for vote organizers.

"The debates were shallow. The candidates only spoke in generalities. None of them showed that they are in a position to manage the situation well," said Haitian economist Kesner Pharel.

Whoever takes over from Martelly on February 7 will face huge challenges and a humanitarian emergency.

Six million of Haiti's 10 million people live in extreme poverty, getting by on less than $2.50 a day.

Polling stations close at 4:00 pm (2000 GMT).

Source: AFP