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René Préval. Image by Ariana Cubillos. Source: Associated Press

As of yesterday, the long-awaited results of Haiti's February 7 elections are in: René Préval has won with 51.15% of the vote, with 96% of votes counted. After ballots were found in a garbage dump and pro-Préval protesters "paralyzed" Port-au-Prince with demonstrations, charging the interim government with electoral fraud, the decision was made to allocate blank ballots on a pro-rated basis to each candidate, so as to arrive at a resolution of the increasingly explosive situation. Now, as protests turn to celebrations, questions as to Préval's plans are emerging: will he bring Aristide back to Haiti out of exile, despite opposition of global powers? Will he remain true to his popular base, or realign himself with imperialist interests under economic pressure? Will he join the self-described Castro-Chavez-Morales "axis of good" in Latin America? What of the continued presence of MINUSTAH in Haiti, hundreds of political prisoners, and widespread human rights violations at the hands of the security force and Haitian police?