Leslie Voltaire, the president of Haiti’s transitional council, stated in a recent interview that the Caribbean country’s much anticipated general elections had been scheduled for about November 15 of this year.
Haiti has not conducted elections since 2016 and has been without elected officials since January 2023. Leaders have stated that to have a free and fair election, security must be ensured first, as armed gangs control nearly all the nation’s capital.
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About a constitutional restriction that has been consistently circumvented as administrations have pointed to the challenge of conducting elections in the face of a deteriorating security situation, Voltaire told TV5 Monde, “We must pass on power to a legitimate, elected government on Feb. 7, 2026.”
Due to the fighting, more than 1 million Haitians have been internally displaced, and more than 5 million people are suffering hungry as armed gangs with extensive ties seize territory in the city and important agricultural areas, causing important ports to repeatedly close.
While Haiti’s legal system and a large portion of the state machinery remain paralyzed, armed gangs maintain strict control over the areas in which they operate and have carried out many atrocities in recent months.
As the present administration is accused of corruption, several prominent lawmakers earlier this month proposed to incorporate Viv Ansanm, the alliance of armed gangs that dominate a large portion of the capital, in political talks.
On the day of the event, Voltaire met with French President Emmanuel Macron in a friendly meeting and Macron pledged to help efforts to increase security and curb drug trafficking, Voltaire said in a TV interview while on tour in Europe.
The growth of Haiti was severely hampered by the former French colony’s payment of a “debt” to the European nation that, according to campaigners, totaled more than $100 billion over a century.
He cautioned that if the United States decides to eliminate essential humanitarian supplies and deport more people, the situation will deteriorate. He added that a U.N.-backed operation that was supposed to assist police in fighting gangs now had only 800 largely Kenyan troops, far less than what was required.
He warned, “It’s going to hurt.”
