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Haiti's political crisis deepened Friday as a presidential hopeful vowed further street protests, and the United States stepped up pressure revoking visas for some government officials.

Adding fuel to the fire is the presence of ousted ex-dictator Jean-Claude Duvalier, who five days after returning without warning after more than two decades in exile, has yet to explain why he is back.

Many fear he is seeking a return to power by capitalizing on the current political chaos stalking the quake-ravaged Caribbean country.

"The electoral system is broken," said popular singer Michel Martelly, who came in third place in November's presidential elections according to initial results released by Haiti's election commission (CEP).

Martelly said he believes the fix is in, and that he will be pushed out of the second round of the elections despite the recommendations of international monitors from the Organization of American States.

"We'll take to the streets peacefully, if the CEP doesn't accept the OAS recommendations," Martelly told journalists.

The OAS said many of the tally sheets it reviewed had been tampered with or altered in favor of President Rene Preval's chosen candidate, Jude Celestin.

If the results were adjusted to take account of the fraud, then Martelly had finished second, ahead of Celestin who should quit the race, the OAS mission said.

Martelly would then battle former first lady Mirlande Manigat in a delayed second round run-off.

The United States, backed by Britain and France, has warned Haiti's leaders that they should follow the OAS recommendations to ensure a credible government is in place.

"Sustained support from the international community, including the United States, will require a credible process that represents the will of the Haitian people," the US ambassador to the United Nations, Susan Rice, said Thursday.

Haiti, the poorest country in the Americas, is struggling to recover from a deadly 2010 earthquake, which razed whole areas of the capital, leaving Haitians more dependent than ever on international aid.

Stepping up the pressure on Preval, the US State Department said Friday it had revoked visas for an unspecified number of Haitian government officials.

"Our focus at the present time is in ensuring a free, fair, credible election process in Haiti," spokesman Philip Crowley said.

"To the extent that there are individuals connected with episodes of violence or corruption, we will not hesitate to take appropriate actions," he warned.

Haitian media earlier reported that nine or 10 members of Celestin's party had had their US visas revoked.

Meanwhile, "Baby Doc" Duvalier was also under pressure as Amnesty International said Haitian officials were opening a probe into alleged torture and killings during his 15-year rule from 1971 to 1986.

"It's an important moment for fighting impunity," Gerardo Ducos, Haiti researcher for Amnesty, told reporters.

Duvalier returned on Sunday to the Caribbean nation he fled in disgrace in 1986 after being ousted in a popular revolt.

The exact motives behind Duvalier's return remain unclear. He has said he wants to help the country after last year's devastating earthquake that killed more than 220,000 people and left 1.3 million homeless.

But one theory, which has gained wide currency here, is that he returned in hope of getting back some $5.7 million frozen in Swiss bank accounts.

Under a Swiss law which goes into effect on February 1 the last of Duvalier's frozen assets could be confiscated and returned to Haiti even if that state has not taken legal action to get them.

The law sets forth two conditions, however -- that the failure to take action was due to the weakness of the state's structures, or the unavailability for trial of the affected person.

"That means that Switzerland could confiscate the money and repatriate it to Haiti, without Haiti having to prosecute Duvalier," said Reed Brody, counsel to Human Rights Watch.

"But if Duvalier goes back to Haiti and is not prosecuted, then he could say I was available for prosecution, and you didn't prosecute me: Give me my money back."

The Swiss government alleges Duvalier looted between $400 million and $900 million dollars from Haiti during his rule.

AFP