Factbox - Candidates through to Haiti's presidential run-off

PORT-AU-PRINCE (Reuters) - Haiti's electoral commission announced on Thursday that former first lady Mirlande Manigat and popular musician Michel Martelly will face off in a March 20 presidential second round run-off.

The release of the official final results came more than two months after a hotly contested November 28 election marred by charges of fraud allegations and street protests.

Here are some facts about the two candidates:

MIRLANDE MANIGAT

A matriarch of Haiti's opposition, Manigat was the top vote-getter in the first round. Sorbonne-educated and 70-years-old, she would be Haiti's first elected female president if she wins the run-off.

She has criticized Haiti's image as a "Republic of NGOs," saying its dependence on international aid must end.

Manigat has made education one of the centrepieces of her government plan, calling for a nationwide literacy program and free primary school education.

Manigat has also called for removing constitutional restrictions on dual nationality so members of the Haitian diaspora can serve in government and participate in the country's political life.

A grandmother and university professor, Manigat conveys an impression of soft-spoken stateliness that contrasts with the louder populist styles of some of her rivals.

She presents her age and experience as an asset, rebuffing critics who question whether she will have the strength and energy to lead Haiti in tackling its huge developmental challenges, a cholera epidemic and the task of rebuilding after the devastating January 2010 earthquake.

Fluent in Creole, French, Spanish and English, she has been a well-known figure in the country's politics for a quarter of a century.

Manigat became a senator and a first lady in 1988, when her husband Leslie Manigat won the presidency. But they were both forced into exile by a coup four months later.

MICHEL MARTELLY

Martelly, 49, is a political neophyte known popularly as "Sweet Mickey." His fame as a star of Haiti's catchy Kompa dance music and his charismatic personality have ignited a fanatical youthful following and propelled him to the forefront of the presidential contest.

As a candidate of the Repons Peyizan party, his populist, anti-establishment message emphasizing social justice have touched a chord among Haiti's poor masses, including more than 1.3 million destitute and homeless earthquake survivors.

While welcoming international aid for Haiti as it battles cholera and recovers from a January 12, 2010 earthquake, Martelly has also criticized the cost of the U.N. peacekeeping force in the country, saying Haiti should "put its own house in order."

As self-styled "President of Kompa," a musical mix of African and Latin rhythms and Haitian Creole lyrics, the shaven-headed Martelly has often accompanied his music with searing and satirical socio-political commentaries and jokes.

Some of his more outlandish antics as an entertainer -- donning diapers, weird outfits and wigs and even stripping in public -- provided fodder for his critics who questioned whether he has the gravitas to be president.

Martelly, who is known to have past friendships with Haitian politicians and former military figures, as well as with foreign diplomats, has been one of the most vocal in accusing outgoing President Rene Preval and the government-backed candidate, Jude Celestin, of trying to steal the elections through fraud.

Martelly was born to middle-class parents and studied in both Haiti and the United States.

His supporters have included Haitian-American hip-hop star Wyclef Jean, himself barred by Haiti's electoral authorities in August from running for president, on grounds of ineligibility.

(Reporting by Joseph Guyler Delva, compiled by Kevin Gray, editing by Will Dunham and Vicki Allen)