Haiti postpones elections indefinitely, electoral council says

Haiti's Provisional Electoral Council said on Tuesday that elections scheduled for December and February have been postponed indefinitely. The council cited the "technical and operational requirements of the process, as well as the conditions necessary for the proper conduct of the various stages," according to France 24. Its statement said "the period originally scheduled for the electoral campaign has been postponed," did not name a new date, and added that the timetable "will be made public as soon as possible."

The first round of presidential and legislative elections was set for December 13, with a second round on February 21, 2027. An electoral council member, speaking to AFP on condition of anonymity, said "the December 13 date no longer stands" and "we are working on a new timetable." The council said voter registration is continuing.

As of Tuesday, 769,000 voters had been registered since the process began on July 20, France 24 reported. Several municipalities under gang control did not have registration centres, and road closures caused by gang threats also affected preparations, according to France 24.

Haiti has not held elections since 2016, and its last president, assassinated in 2021, has not been replaced. France 24 reported the delay leaves Haitians without a vote as authorities struggle to register voters and secure areas needed for the poll.

Davidson Jean Baptiste, a taxi driver in the capital Port-au-Prince, told AFP: "I didn't have high hopes about going to vote this year." He added: "Who can claim to hold elections in a country where the citizens are more concerned about insecurity and the abuses by armed groups?" Claudette Piard, speaking at a voter registration centre in Delmas, said: "The people have been long kept out of the political debate," and added, "We finally want to vote for a government that will bring solutions to the masses."

Of Haiti's approximately 11 million inhabitants, nearly 1.5 million are internally displaced by violence, according to the International Organization for Migration, which said attacks were not confined to the capital. France 24 reported the country has long faced a political, economic and security crisis that has deteriorated in recent years as gangs step up killings, kidnappings, rape and child recruitment.