Port-au-Prince – Less than 48 hours after he was prevented from boarding a flight to the United States, lawyer André Michel has announced his candidature for the presidential election in Haiti.
“I am announcing my presidential ambitions for the upcoming election. I will present a political platform focused on security, economic and social development, and national sovereignty,” Michael said on his X account, formerly Twitter.
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“The elimination of armed gangs is my top priority. We must not dwell on the gang!,” he wrote.
Political observers are questioning the sincerity in Michel’s announcement, saying that it was made to deflect attention from the humiliation he experienced at the Cap-Haïtien airport on Saturday when he was barred from boarding a Sunrise Airways flight to Florida.
While no official explanation has been made regarding the decision of the airline to prevent him from boarding the flight, media reports here suggest that he may be on a blacklist that includes both former and current Haitian officials, political figures, and influential members of the business sector whose US visas have been revoked.
Michel rose to prominence on the national political scene during the 2011–2021 period, when he played a central role in several high-profile legal cases involving government officials and was one of those against the administrations of Michel Martelly and Jovenel Moïse.
He was also a member of Ariel Henry’s transitional government, becoming one of its most vocal defenders.
Haiti has been without an elected head of state after President Moise was shot and killed at his private residence on July 7, 2021. His wife was also injured during the attack and several Colombian nationals have been arrested in connection with the killing, but have not been officially charged as yet.
Since the death of Moise, criminal gangs have sought to overthrow the interim governments, and they have all but control the capital, forcing people to flee their homes.
The United Nations has said that the gangs are responsible for the deaths of thousands of people in Haiti.
The Haitian-based media organization, SOS Journalists, is urging the authorities here to hold a constitutional referendum ahead of plans to hold elections in Haiti by November this year.
It said that a constitutional referendum is essential in the country where power is expected to be transferred in February 2026 to a judge of the Court of Cassation.
Last Friday saw the official launch of the ‘Chair of Law and Administration of Electoral Operations in Haiti’ which is an initiative of the State University of Haiti and the Provisional Electoral Council.
The two institutions signed a partnership agreement that aims to strengthen training and research in the management of electoral processes in the country. The project is also intended to train executives in electoral professions and strengthen institutional capacity in the country. CMC
