Haiti's electoral council must take full account of an international mission's findings, reportedly eliminating the Government candidate from the presidential run-off, or face the prospect of considerable unrest, the United Nations peacekeeping chief warned today.

"After a year marked by the devastating earthquake of 12 January 2010, and the ongoing cholera epidemic, it is of paramount importance that the current political crisis is brought to a swift conclusion so that the Government and people of Haiti can focus on the challenges of reconstruction and recovery," Under-Secretary-General Alain Le Roy told the Security Council.

Thousands of protesters last month rampaged through the streets of Port-au-Prince, the capital, accusing the ruling government coalition of rigging the results, after tallies of the 28 November first round released by the Provisional Electoral Council (CEP) put former first lady Mirlande Manigat and outgoing President Rene Préval's party candidate Jude Celestin in first and second place, qualifying for the run-off.

Popular musician Michel Martelly was less than one percentage point behind in third place, but excluded from the run-off between the two top-vote winners.

Mr. Préval invited an Organization of American States (OAS) mission to assess the results, and its report, delivered 10 days ago, recommends putting Mr. Martelly in second place, thus eliminating Mr. Celestin, according to media accounts. These accounts say that Mr. Préval "has reservations" over the mission's findings.

"Having officially received the report of the OAS technical mission, the CEP must now honour its commitment to fully take into account the report's recommendations with a view to ensuring that the results of the elections truly reflect the will of the Haitian people," Mr. Le Roy said.

"Should the CEP decide otherwise, Haiti may well be faced with a constitutional crisis, with the possibility of considerable unrest and insecurity. At this critical juncture, it is vital that the CEP be allowed to carry out its work without political interference," he added, urging Member States to continue working with all parties "to ensure that CEP is able to steer the electoral process towards an outcome that is both credible and legitimate."

He told reporters afterwards that the 15-member body all agreed that the OAS mission's recommendations should be followed. "Everyone expressed the need that the will of the people be respected," he said.

In his briefing Mr. Le Roy noted that for the time being, the overall security situation remains calm despite sporadic instances of violence, and he mentioned the return from exile earlier this week of former president Jean-Claude Duvalier, which media accounts have cited as a possible destabilizing factor.

Earlier this week the UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) said there were major issues concerning human rights abuses that took place in Haiti during the 15 years that Mr. Duvalier was in power from 1971 to 1986.