Haiti sets August 2026 date for first general elections in nearly a decade

Haiti’s transitional authorities last week released a long-awaited electoral timetable, announcing that the crisis-stricken nation plans to hold its first general elections since 2016 next summer. The announcement marks a major step toward restoring democratic governance, though officials cautioned that worsening gang violence could still threaten the process.

According to the decree issued by the Provisional Electoral Council, general elections are due to be held in Haiti in two rounds on August 30 and December 6, 2026. The presidency, all seats in the Senate and the Chamber of Deputies, and local and municipal offices will be contested. The President of Haiti is elected using the two-round system, with a second round held if no candidate wins a majority of the vote in the first round.

Jacques Desrosiers, president of Haiti’s Provisional Electoral Council, stressed that the vote cannot proceed unless security conditions improve dramatically.

“The restoration of security is a prerequisite for holding the first round,” he said.

Haiti has endured years of political turmoil, compounded by rampant gang violence and institutional collapse. Conditions deteriorated sharply in early 2024, when armed groups forced the resignation of then–prime minister Ariel Henry, leaving large swaths of Port-au-Prince under gang control.

The country has not held elections since October 2016, and its last elected president, Jovenel Moïse, was assassinated in July 2021. Haiti is currently governed by an interim authority, the Transitional Presidential Council, whose mandate ends in February 2026.

Chairman of the Transitional Presidential Council Laurent Saint-Cyr welcomed the adoption of the decree, saying it “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 said in a post on X.

Gang violence continues to destabilize the country, with criminal groups carrying out killings, kidnappings, extortion and territorial takeovers. A United Nations report released in October estimated that more than 16,000 people have been killed by armed violence in Haiti since 2022.

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In 2023, the UN authorized a multinational security mission to support Haitian police, but the deployment has been hampered by limited resources and mixed results on the ground. The UN Security Council voted in September to transform the mission into a more robust anti-gang force.

Despite the challenges, transitional authorities say the electoral calendar provides a roadmap for Haitians to return to the polls—something many see as critical to restoring stability and international confidence.