Haiti prime minister vows elections will take place this year
Key Points(5)
- Haitian Prime Minister Alix Didier Fils-Aimé has vowed that long-awaited elections will take place this year as the country's Provisional Electoral Council (CEP) moves ahead with preparations for presidential and legislative polls.
- "The elections will take place this year, no matter what," Fils-Aimé said while touring Haiti's South Department, urging eligible citizens to register to vote.
- The CEP has scheduled the first round of presidential and legislative elections, along with a constitutional referendum, for Dec.
- The vote would be Haiti's first national election since 2016, when Jovenel Moïse was elected president.
- Moïse was assassinated on July 7, 2021.
Haitian Prime Minister Alix Didier Fils-Aimé has vowed that long-awaited elections will take place this year as the country's Provisional Electoral Council (CEP) moves ahead with preparations for presidential and legislative polls.
"The elections will take place this year, no matter what," Fils-Aimé said while touring Haiti's South Department, urging eligible citizens to register to vote.
The CEP has scheduled the first round of presidential and legislative elections, along with a constitutional referendum, for Dec. 13, 2026. The vote would be Haiti's first national election since 2016, when Jovenel Moïse was elected president. Moïse was assassinated on July 7, 2021.
Preliminary results from the first round are expected to be published Dec. 19, with final results scheduled for Jan. 9, 2027.
A second round of presidential and legislative elections, along with local elections, is scheduled for Feb. 21, 2027. Final results for the presidential and legislative races are expected March 7, while final local election results are scheduled for March 12.
The campaign for the first round is scheduled to run from Oct. 5 through Dec. 12. The campaign period for the second round is scheduled to begin Jan. 10.
17 political groups approved
The CEP said 17 of 18 political groups representing 228 political parties have been approved to participate in the elections.
The electoral council reminded political groups that the registration period will close Friday at 5 p.m. local time, in accordance with the current electoral calendar.
The council has also expanded voter registration capacity, adding 36 new registration centers to 29 centers already operating in the West Department.
The CEP said the move is intended to bring registration services closer to residents and facilitate participation in the electoral process.
The council is also preparing to assess electoral participation among Haitians living overseas.
A CEP delegation is scheduled to visit countries with large Haitian populations next week, including the United States, Canada, France, Chile and Brazil. The delegation will assess conditions for Haitian diaspora participation in the upcoming elections.
Government urges voter registration
Fils-Aimé has encouraged eligible Haitians to register and participate in the electoral process as the country prepares for the December vote.
Minister of Youth, Sports and Civic Action Pythagore Dumas also urged Haitians, particularly young people, to register.
Dumas recently visited Horatius Laventure High School in Delmas 75 to register to vote and told young Haitians that voting is both a right and a responsibility for those seeking to build a more just and democratic country.
During his visit to the South Department, Fils-Aimé also met with Cardinal Chibly Langlois, bishop of Les Cayes, to discuss national issues and the role of the Catholic Church and other religious groups in Haitian society.
The meeting focused in part on the role religious organizations can play in efforts to find lasting solutions to the country's challenges.
Fils-Aimé said his engagement with religious leaders and other stakeholders was intended to promote dialogue and called for greater unity, responsibility and collective commitment as Haiti moves toward elections.
