Gang-destabilised Haiti took a major step on Tuesday toward holding its first elections in nearly a decade after transitional authorities announced the Caribbean country would hold a vote next summer.
The first round of a general election is to be held in August 2026, but restoring security acrossHaitiis essential for polls, according to the Provisional Electoral Council, the body that issued the decree and is responsible for organising the vote.
The restoration of security is a prerequisite for holding the first round of legislative and presidential elections, said the councils president, Jacques Desrosiers.
Haiti, the poorest country in the Americas, has long been plagued by political and security crises, and the situation has worsened since early 2024, when thenprime minister Ariel Henry was forced to resign by armed gangs who still control much of the capital, Port-au-Prince.
Haiti has not held elections since October 2016. Its last elected president,Jovenel Mose, was assassinated in July 2021.
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An interim ruling body, the Transitional Presidential Council, currently governs the country, but the councils mandate is set to expire in February 2026.
Laurent Saint-Cyr, the councils president, praised the adoption of the decree, emphasising that the decision finally offers the Haitian people the opportunity to freely and responsibly choose those who should lead them.
By taking this decisive step, while we remain fully committed to restoring security, we reaffirm our commitment to putting Haiti back on the path to democratic legitimacy and stability, he added in a post on X.
Criminal gangshave wrought chronic instability in Haiti, perpetuating murders, rape, looting and kidnapping throughout the Caribbean nation.
In 2023, theUnited Nationsapproved a multinational security mission to help overwhelmed Haitian police respond to the gangs, but the under-equipped and underfunded deployment has had mixed results.
At the end of September, the UN Security Council approved a transformation of the mission into a more robust anti-gang force.
The UN reported in October that more than 16,000 people have been killed by armed violence in Haiti since the start of 2022.
(FRANCE 24 with AFP)
Originally published on France24
