Haitian elections hampered by low voter registration
Determined to hold general elections in December despite the country’s precarious security posture, Haitian officials are pressing ahead with preparations for new polls, but a frighteningly low level of voter registration is frustrating the system at all levels.
The country’s electoral council says it would be satisfied with a registration level of about 4 million, but as the new workweek began, the national voter scroll reported that it can only account for just over half a million people who have registered — 509,000, or less than 13% — of those eligible so far, with fewer than 100 days to go.
The attempt at organizing the first general elections since 2016 is set for December 13 in the most populous and economically troubled nation of the Caribbean Community (Caricom). The interim administration or transitional council that Caricom and other nations helped to install in the country in early 2024 wants to press ahead with the polls, since the official mandate of nearly every elected official has expired, from mayors to lawmakers, in the past decade.
Preparations for December 13 are proceeding despite the increasing power and influence of heavily armed gangs that have been severely disrupting life, killing and abducting Haitian citizens, burning buildings, and marauding into neighborhoods while engaging in deadly clashes with police and soldiers, mostly in the capital and surrounding areas.
The level of uncertainty about security appears to be the main reason why Haitians are turning out in such low numbers to register and prepare to elect a new generation of leaders. In recent months, there have been several visits from Caricom delegations, the Organization of American States (OAS) in Washington, and the United Nations (U.N.). In each case, officials have expressed concerns about the security situation, but have nevertheless thrown their support behind the need to organize fresh polls.
“Haiti stands at a critical juncture. Our responsibility is clear: to strengthen security efforts, advance electoral preparations, deliver on the commitments already made, and ensure that international cooperation translates into tangible improvements in the daily lives of the Haitian people,” said OAS Secretary General Albert Ramdin after a recent visit.
Caricom Secretary General Carla Barnett said, “Our objective must remain to support the Haitian people in their search for solutions to the current crises of insecurity and governance, so that they can focus on long-term investment planning, job creation, and access to essential social services.”
Feeling a level of responsibility about things in Haiti, the 15-nation bloc said it is doing its part to remain engaged in the lead-up to December 13. In the past week, it sent a delegation of three former regional prime ministers serving as a so-called eminent persons group (EPG) to Haiti to assess the situation. The delegation reported that the “visit provided a timely opportunity to assess the political conjuncture and to engage in dialogue on the preparations for the first round of elections scheduled for 13 December 2026. The security situation remains of particular concern. The EPG noted the recent spread and spike in deadly violence and kidnappings, as well as the challenges contributing to the slow deployment of the gang suppression force. In their discussions, all stakeholders underscored the critical importance of ensuring a security environment that will allow for countrywide registration of voters, political campaigning, freedom of movement, and citizens to vote safely. Deployment of the additional forces and resources pledged by various countries and strategic operational coordination among these and the Haitian security forces are of paramount importance in achieving this objective.”
Like the OAS and the U.N., the former prime ministers of Jamaica, the Bahamas, and St. Lucia said that Haiti needs all the international support it can get because the country is at “a critical juncture. With important steps being taken by Haitians toward stability and a return to democratic governance in their country, the EPG calls on international partners to refocus efforts to deliver with dispatch on security commitments made to ensure the implementation of U.N. Security Council Resolution 2793, which deals with efforts to establish an international gang suppression force.”
Meanwhile, nearly 300 political parties and individuals have registered to contest the polls, but how many will have the financing to contest in the major provinces remains a concern for officials. It is not clear whether multilateral agencies like Caricom, the OAS, and the U.N. will mount observer missions in mid-December because many are worried about being attacked by the armed gangs operating in the country.