Edgy Haiti waits to see who will contest presidency

Haitians will learn on Wednesday who will contest the presidency in a March run-off election shrouded in political uncertainty and complicated by the possible return home of a polarizing former leader.

Haiti's Provisional Electoral Council is scheduled to announce definitive first-round results from the chaotic Nov. 28 elections that triggered riots and fraud allegations in the poor, volatile Caribbean state.

The council has to decide who will join former first lady Mirlande Manigat in the March 20 run-off -- popular musician Michel Martelly or government-backed Jude Celestin. Manigat had the most first-round votes but not enough to win outright.

The renewed instability comes in the wake of a massive crippling earthquake a year ago that killed more than 300,000 people and a deadly cholera epidemic that has heaped misery on inhabitants of the Western Hemisphere's poorest state.

The uncertain outlook has been further clouded by the reappearance of ghosts from Haiti's turbulent past. Former dictator Jean-Claude 'Baby Doc' Duvalier came home from exile in January, running into corruption and human rights charges, and firebrand populist ex-President Jean-Bertrand Aristide is also preparing a homecoming from exile.

The United States, United Nations and Organization of American States have weighed in to try to avoid an electoral debacle and more unrest that could threaten billions of dollars of reconstruction aid pledged by foreign donors.

They have pressed Haitian authorities to adopt an OAS report that recommends revising preliminary Haitian results to put Martelly in the run-off in place of Celestin. OAS experts cited irregularities in vote tallies from November's vote.

Despite a visit on Sunday by U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton to ram home U.S. backing for the OAS option, the Provisional Electoral Council has given no clear indication that it will follow the OAS recommendation.

Celestin, a government technocrat and protege of outgoing President Rene Preval, has refused to drop out despite pressure from his own INITE party.