Shots Hit Home of Candidate for Haiti Presidency

Gunmen fired at the home of an opposition presidential candidate Tuesday, marring what has been a relatively peaceful campaign to choose a successor to Jean-Bertrand Aristide.

An unrelated shooting Monday by a police officer renewed concerns about Haiti’s security once United Nations troops leave in February, ending a foreign occupation that restored Aristide to power 15 months ago.

In contrast to previous elections, campaigning for Sunday’s presidential vote has been nearly free of violence--and passion, in part because of uninspiring candidates and widespread certainty about the outcome.

Former Prime Minister Rene Preval is expected to win, riding on the popularity of the president’s Lavalas Platform coalition. Aristide, although personally popular, is barred by the constitution from serving consecutive terms.

Leon Jeune, a former chief of Haiti’s new civilian police, said that he wasn’t at home and that no one was wounded in the pre-dawn attack on his house Tuesday in the affluent suburb of Petionville.

“I’m being intimidated . . . but it’s not going to work,” he said as he signed a deposition for authorities.

Jeune, a human rights activist and distant relative of Aristide, and socialist party leader Victor Benoit are the only other serious challengers among 14 candidates.