Haiti’s Prime Minister, Alix Didier Fils-Aimé, says the country’s deteriorating security situation makes it impossible to hold long-awaited presidential elections in August as originally planned.
In an interview broadcast Monday on Le Nouvelliste and Magik9 radio, Fils-Aimé acknowledged that the conditions required for free and fair elections do not currently exist.
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“It is clear that the security conditions are not at the level needed for us to hold elections in August,” he said.
The prime minister expressed hope that elections could take place before the end of the year, allowing Haiti to inaugurate an elected president on February 7, 2027, a date traditionally associated with the constitutional transfer of power.
Haiti has not held presidential elections in nearly a decade. The last elected president, Jovenel Moïse, was assassinated in July 2021 after repeatedly postponing elections. His death deepened the political vacuum and allowed heavily armed gangs to tighten their grip on Port-au-Prince and expand into rural and central regions.
The worsening violence has displaced more than one million people and severely limited the government’s ability to organize a credible electoral process.
Preparations had already been underway. Voter registration was expected to begin on April 1, while Haiti’s Provisional Electoral Council had tentatively scheduled the first round of voting for August 30, with a runoff planned for December. More than 280 political parties were approved to participate.
However, Fils-Aimé suggested that such a large field of candidates could overwhelm voters.
“We are not going to hand an encyclopedia to the population to choose from,” he said. “Choice is a good thing, but too much choice is not necessarily what is needed. I would love for us to have elections with 10 to 15 presidential candidates.”
The prime minister said his government is continuing discussions with political parties on a new electoral decree, but noted that he remains dissatisfied with the budget proposed by the electoral council.
The international community, including the United Nations and the United States, has tied continued support for Haiti’s security forces to progress toward restoring constitutional order through elections.
Meanwhile, violence continues to affect daily life and economic activity. Business leaders have reported renewed attacks in several areas, and Delphine Gardère, chief executive of Rhum Barbancourt, said one of the company’s employees was shot and killed overnight in the capital.
