Haitian President Michel Martelly ignites controversy in Miami congressional race
Posted on Monday, 04.30.12
Haitian President Michel Martelly ignites controversy in Miami congressional race
By Jacqueline Charles
[email protected]
Haiti’s president has inserted himself in a contentious Miami Congressional race by endorsing the Haitian-American opponent of Rep. Frederica Wilson, setting off diplomatic shockwaves and potentially reigniting tensions between local ethnic communities.
In an interview with a local Creole-language radio station last week, Martelly called on Haitians to unite and support Rudy Moise, a physician who lost to Wilson in 2010 in a crowded field of candidates in what was the 17th Congressional District at the time.
Moise was among four Haitian-Americans vying for the seat, and the split in the Haitian vote helped propel Wilson, an African-American, to victory.
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Wilson swiftly blasted Martelly’s comments, saying she didn’t appreciate what she called “efforts to divide my Congressional district into Haitians versus African Americans” in the Aug. 14 primary race.
More:
http://www.miamiherald.com/2012/04/27/2776358/haitian-president-michel-martelly.html#storylink=cpy
