PORT-AU-PRINCE –The streets of Haiti’s capital were a roiling sea of protest Sunday after 12 presidential candidates came together on a single stage to denounce the election as a massive fraud orchestrated by the Inite party of current president René Préval.

Speaking as one through independent candidate Josette Bijou, a former health minister, they called for Sunday’s election to be cancelled in mid-balloting and for all Haitians to take to the streets in peaceful protest.

It was a stunning turn of events, with partisans from all the campaigns joining to sing Haiti’s national anthem as 12 of the remaining 18 presidential candidates took the stage.

Word quickly spread, and thousands of people were soon running through streets, demanding Préval’s arrest and denouncing his chosen successor, Inite’s Jude Célestin.

By early evening, tens of thousands of supporters of candidate Michel Martelly, aka the singer Sweet Mickey, were swarming the Delmas neighbourhood.

In the middle of the throng, Martelly stood atop an SUV, flanked by Wyclef Jean, the Haitian-American hip-hop artist who was barred from running for president, and fellow presidential candidate Charles Henry Baker.

“Jude gave us money, but we voted for Micky,” sang the crowd, a reference to payments made in exchange for votes.

Only three of the biggest contenders – surging Martelly, Jean-Henry Céant and Baker – had originally planned to come together to denounce the election.

But their joint show was postponed again and again as more candidates came into the fold, including Mirlande Manigat, the 70-year–old former first lady who in recent polls had edged ahead of Célestin.

“This is an earthquake of an election,” said Leslie Voltaire, one of the candidates. “This will divide the country, not unite it.”

Billows of smoke filled the air as bonfires were started across the city – burning tires being a traditional form of protest in Haiti.

There were widespread reports of alleged ballot-stuffing, polling stations being disrupted by gangs, and voters wandering between polling stations looking in vain for their names on the voters’ list, yet finding instead those of neighbours killed in January’s earthquake.

But Haiti’s electoral council, widely seen as Préval’s puppet, claimed there were only minor irregularities. The council has scheduled a news conference Sunday evening.

A source said that a special meeting Sunday night of international diplomats and government officials remained confident about the election process, saying only four per cent of polling stations were affected by violence or fraud.

After voting at a Pétionville high school, Célestin called for calm but told his supporters they were headed for victory. “We're in greater numbers and we're stronger,” he said.

He claimed those disrupting polling stations were wearing stolen Inite T-shirts and not involved in his campaign.

“We have no need to cause trouble,” he said. “We've already proven it. Our campaign was non-violent.”

Célestin then waved to a tiny crowd and got into his SUV – a sharp contrast to the rollicking, electric crowd that serenaded Martelly when he came to vote at the same school earlier in the day.

Dozens of voters already inside the polling station raced to the second and third-floor balconies of the school to cheer Martelly’s arrival.

As Martelly slowly made his way along the second-floor balcony, he stopped at one point and dipped a knee inward, pointing his derriere to the crowd in mock dance.

As Sweet Micky, Martelly had regularly mooned his audiences, and the crowd of hundreds went wild, chanting “Martelly, Monsieur Le President.”

In recent days, much of the anger against Préval and frustration over the continuing misery in the tent cities has coalesced as surging – and highly emotional – support for Martelly.

The riotous afternoon and evening was a complete foil to how quietly and relatively orderly the day had begun.

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Election observer Benoit Charette, a member of Quebec’s national assembly with a Haitian wife, said it was the calmest election day he’d seen in 15 years. By mid-morning, he’d heard of no violence at any of the polls in Port-au-Prince, which he pronounced “very encouraging.”

But all that was soon began unravelling.

Haitian radio stations reported a handful of arrests for fraud. In one case, police confirmed, a man was found with several national ID cards – cards needed to vote – a ballot box and a pile of blank ballots.

There were reports that fewer than half of the 400,000 new and replacement ID cards needed had been distributed in time for the voting.

With as many as 300,000 people dead in the earthquake, and 1.3 million displaced people living in miserable tent cities, critics had for weeks been warning the election was a recipe for fraud.

“I'm trying to stay calm,” said Ornaul Dorleon, 47, finding that his name was not on the voters list yet again, even though three of his siblings’ were.

This was the fifth downtown poll he'd visited since 9:30 a.m., determined to vote, and it was now 3:45 p.m. – 15 minutes before the polls were officially scheduled to close.

Many polls, including the one visited by both Martelly and Célestin, opened an hour late or more, although officials were then saying individual polls might stay open until 6 p.m. to compensate.

“The international community invested so much in this election. I don't think they'll do it again,” a development worker said before rushing off to the next voting station.

Reports of irregularities were widespread.

“There were 43 things I saw,” said Coraine Beauvoir, a spokewoman for Martelly, producing a list of incidents.

“In Port-de-Paix, the boxes were already full of ballots even though no voters had arrived. On the ballots in Les Cayes, they put plastic over Sweet Micky's box so no one could mark it.”

She also said people casting ballots for Préval's Inite party did not have their thumbs marked with ink to ensure they did not vote again.

With files from Star wire services