Collapse-hit Haiti to Hold Presidential Election in December for the First Time in 10 Years

[Financial News] Haiti, the Caribbean island nation that has effectively been in a state of lawlessness since the 2021 assassination of its president, will hold a presidential election in December. It will be the first nationwide election in about 10 years, since 2016.
Haiti's Provisional Electoral Council (CEP) said on the social media platform X on the 27th local time that the presidential election will be held on Dec. 13, and that a runoff will take place on Feb. 21 next year if no candidate wins outright.
A constitutional referendum will also be held on Dec. 13. The CEP said local elections will likewise take place on Feb. 21. The final presidential results are scheduled to be announced on March 7.
Haiti has not held a nationwide election since the 2016 presidential vote, when Jovenel Moïse was elected. Moïse was assassinated at the presidential residence in July 2021, and the presidency has remained vacant ever since.
The president of Haiti serves a five-year term. Under the original schedule, the election should have been held in November 2021, but former Prime Minister Ariel Henry, who served as acting president, delayed it, citing concerns over gang violence.
Armed gangs in Haiti, organized under the alliance known as Viv Ansanm, now control about 90% of the capital, Port-au-Prince, where more than a quarter of the population lives. They have expanded their influence over the past several years by committing crimes against humanity, including kidnapping, murder and organ trafficking.
According to the United Nations, more than 2,300 people were killed in gang violence in Haiti in the first half of this year alone. In particular, 83 people were killed in just 72 hours from March 29 to 31 in the agricultural area of Bas Artibonite. The UN plans to deploy 5,500 multinational troops and police officers by the end of this year to help improve security in Haiti.
Henry resigned as prime minister in April 2024 after failing to resolve insecurity and poverty. Since Sept. 18, 2024, Haiti has been run by a transitional council. In the case of Haiti's parliament, the terms of the 10 remaining senators expired in January 2023, and no lawmakers remain after general elections were also postponed amid the national crisis. All 149 seats, including 30 in the Senate and 119 in the lower house, are vacant, and the UN and other members of the international community have called for elections and political reforms as a condition for direct support in maintaining security.


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