Contributions from Carin Zissis
Tainted by fraud allegations, Haiti's November 28 election was rejected by a majority of the presidential candidates. But, with results slated for December 7, the UN cautioned Haiti's political parties and voters to wait for the official outcome.
Peru and Chile’s presidents made use of their time in Asia to carve out trade deals on APEC’s sidelines. Lima closed a deal with South Korea and concluded negotiations with Japan while Chile inked a pact with Malaysia and announced it would start negotiations with Thailand.
The competition to serve as Peru's next head of state intensified with former President Alejandro Toledo and ex-Finance Minister Mercedes Aráoz announcing their candidacies. They join an already tight race for the April 2011 election.