Haitan Musician Martelly, 'Sweet Mickey,' Wins Haiti presidential Election

Wyclef and Martelly

Musician Michel “Sweet Micky” Martelly scored a come-from-behind victory Monday in Haiti’s presidential runoff.

 According to preliminary results from last month’s election showing he easily defeated a former first lady for the leadership of a country facing enormous challenges.Martelly, who has never held political office, received nearly 68 percent of the vote in the two-way race with Mirlande Manigat, electoral council spokesman Pierre Thibault said in an announcement that was immediately followed by noisy celebration in the Haitian capital.

Thousands of Martelly supporters poured into the streets of Port-au-Prince, carrying Martelly posters, climbing onto cars and cheering loudly. A huge crowd of singing and chanting supporters marched to his house.

    The popular musician, a star of the Haitian genre known as compas, had trailed Manigat in the crowded first-round election in November. But his campaign gained momentum in the second round, with many voters seemingly enchanted with his lack of political experience in a country where the government has failed to provide basic services.