Calls for calm and end to violence continue to go unheeded in Haiti as riots sparked by preliminary election results continue, leaving at least three dead and several other people injured.

French media agency AFP quoted former Haitian senator Gabriel Fortune as saying that three young protestors were shot dead in clashes in the southern town of Les Cayes, about 200 kilometres south of the capital. There were also unconfirmed reports that a fourth person was killed in armed clashes in the nearby city of Cap-Haïtien.

It is unclear whether the victims were shot by law enforcement officials or other protestors.

Thousands of demonstrators have been roaming the streets with weapons, setting up burning barricades, and looting. Yesterday, they set fire to the headquarters of the ruling Inite party, and attacked several shops, a post of the UN peacekeeping mission MINUSTAH, and a radio station owned by a Senate candidate with the ruling candidate, Carlos Lebon.

The unrest, which prompted many businesses in the capital to close yesterday, followed Tuesday nights announcement by the Provisional Electoral Council (CEP) that President Rene Prévals handpicked successor, Jude Celestin, and former first lady Mirlande Manigat would go forward to a runoff next month to choose President Prévals successor.

Thousands of Haitians are outraged that popular musician Michel Sweet Micky Martelly was not included in the runoff, especially after he was identified as a front runner in unofficial polls. They have claimed fraud, accusing Prévals party of rigging the results.

International observers have also questioned the results. The United States Embassy in Haiti said, in a statement issued after the announcement by the CEP, that the results were inconsistent with results published by the National Election Observation Council, which had more than 5,500 observers witnessing the vote count in 1,600 polls around the country, as well as other international and domestic observers.

Martelly, who is challenging the results, has urged his supporters to refrain from violence following the deaths, but he urged them to continue protesting.

But the joint Organisation of American States (OAS)/Caribbean Community (CARICOM) mission has stressed that the results were only preliminary and urged stakeholders to use the legal remedies provided by the Electoral Law rather than turn to violence.

Once the challenges by candidates have been dealt with, the final results of the first round of the legislative and presidential elections will be announced on December 20th.

The Mission deplores the ongoing violent demonstrations, the observers said in a statement. Candidates and political leaders should urge their supporters to stay calm in order to create the peaceful environment necessary for a meaningful dialogue as well as to facilitate the constructive approach offered by the legal recourses of the Electoral Law which is an integral part of the Rule of Law.

UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon and outgoing President Préval have also appealed for calm and order.