Mountains To Climb

The Creole proverb warns: "deye mon, gen mon"--beyond mountains, more mountains. Under the eye of U.N. peacekeepers, Haitians voted for a new president and Parliament last Tuesday. Early results gave 63-year-old populist Rene Preval a solid lead, but by week's end it was unclear whether he had enough votes to prevent a run-off. If elected, Preval will have to contend with angry rivals, a fractious Parliament and the armed gangs of Cite Soleil, a dense slum in the capital, Port-au-Prince. "We are the law," says alleged murderer, kidnapper and drug smuggler Amaral Duclona, often referred to as Haiti's "most wanted man." Duclona--and Cite Soleil--support Preval. But if the new president fails to bring money to the slums, the power of the pistol may again prove stronger than that of the vote.