Port-Au-Prince: Rene Preval, 63, was expected to appeal for calm in Haiti on Tuesday following protests over a vote count that put him short of the 50 per cent he needs to be elected president in the first round.
Tension remained high as Preval supporters insisted the frontrunner be declared president, despite the partial results.
Discontent was further fueled by the long wait for the official outcome, which was yet to be announced one week after the election.
On Monday, a Preval supporter was shot dead as protesters took over the streets of the capital, barricading roads, storming a luxury hotel and setting tires alight.
Protesters blamed UN peacekeepers for the death, but a spokesman for the UN Stabilization Mission (MINUSTAH) insisted the troops only fired two shots in the air and never shot at the demonstrators.
Preval, a former president who enjoys strong support among the millions of impoverished Haitians, was expected to issue an appeal for calm among his supporters.
His arrival in the Haitian capital on Monday already help ease the tension.
Preval met with UN and Haitian officials as well as diplomats after flying in from his hometown of Marmelade.
"He came to calm people. It is very important he should do that," said Brazil's ambassador to Haiti, Jose Paolo de Andrade Pinto.
Brazil, which leads MINUSTAH, asked the United States to organize a UN Security Council meeting on the new tensions in Haiti. The United States is coucil president for February.
Washington, for its part urged Haitians to respect the outcome of the elections.
Former South African Anglican Archbishop Desmond Tutu on Monday also urged the demonstrators to remain calm.
"You must show the world that you abhor fighting," the Nobel peace laureate said, speaking from the terrace of the luxury Montana hotel, where protesters briefly took over the garden, swimming pool and tennis court.
Demonstrations were also reported in Cap-Haitien, Haiti's second largest city, and in other parts of the impoverished Caribbean country.
Similar protests two years ago turned into a popular uprising that forced Jean Bertrand Aristide, Haiti's last elected president, to flee.
Haiti has been rocked by turmoil since, but the violence eased shortly before the February 7 elections.
Monday's demonstrations started after authorities announced the latest partial results, showing Preval had 48.76 per cent of the vote with 90 per cent of the ballots tallied.
Preval, 63, had a huge lead over his 31 rivals, several of whom have said they would support him in a second round.
At least one of the candidates claimed irregularities in the vote count.
"I am ready to accept Mr Preval's victory if it is proved that the vote was manipulated," said Jean Chavannes Jeune, who placed fourth with five per cent of the vote.
A runoff would be held on March 19, with Preval competing against runnerup Leslie Manigat, 75, also a former president who had 11.8 per cent in the partial results.
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