Haiti publishes revised electoral calendar, sets August 2026 election dates

The Provisional Electoral Council (CEP) has published Haiti’s revised electoral calendar in Le Moniteur, outlining the full timetable for the country’s long-delayed legislative, presidential, and local elections.

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The calendar follows the publication of the Electoral Decree in Special Issue 66 of Le Moniteur on December 1 by the Presidential Transitional Council (CPT). According to the CEP, the schedule covers all key stages of the process, from candidate registration to the proclamation of final results.

Under the revised timetable, the election campaign for the first round of legislative and presidential elections will begin on May 19, 2026, and run through August 28, 2026. Election Day for the first round is set for August 30, 2026. Preliminary and dispute-resolution phases will follow, with final first-round results scheduled for publication on October 3, 2026.

The second round of voting, along with local elections, is scheduled for December 6, 2026, with final results of the second round to be published on January 7, 2027. Final results for local elections are set for January 20, 2027.

However, the CEP stressed that adherence to the calendar depends on two critical conditions: an acceptable security environment and the availability of financial resources.

On security, the CEP warned that ongoing instability poses major logistical challenges to holding elections nationwide. It noted that 23 communes are currently under the control of armed groups — 12 in the West, eight in Artibonite, three in the Centre, and one in the Northwest — limiting the council’s ability to operate safely across all municipalities, communal sections, electoral offices, and polling stations.

“The current security situation has major implications for electoral logistics,” the CEP said, emphasizing the need for safe, uninterrupted access to Departmental Electoral Offices (BEDs), Communal Electoral Offices (BECs), and polling locations throughout the process.

The council also highlighted funding as a decisive factor, stating that the electoral budget is “a crucial pillar” of the process. Organizing elections in Haiti, it said, requires managing multiple emergencies simultaneously across the country, making it essential for the electoral institution to have direct access to financial resources to address both planned activities and unforeseen challenges.

The published calendar details a multi-year process beginning with civic education efforts in November 2025 and extending through January 2027, including voter registration, accreditation of observers and journalists, recruitment of election workers, result tabulation, dispute resolution, and the certification of final outcomes.