GEORGETOWN, Guyana, Jul 28, CMC – The Eminent Persons Group (EPG) of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) says it welcomes the publication of the electoral calendar by the Haitian Provisional Electoral Council (CEP) as the French-speaking CARICOM member states continues preparations for elections last held here in 2016.
Jovenel Moise who was declared winner of the country’s 20 November 2016 presidential elections,was gunned down by a group of armed gunmen, including foreign mercenaries, at his private residence overlooking the capital, Port au Prince in July7, 2021.
Since then Haitians have not gone to the polls to elect a successor.
“This critical step in the electoral process which provides the dates for the organisation of the general elections has been eagerly awaited by Haitian stakeholders and also by the international community,” said the EPG group that is chaired by former St. Lucia prime minister Dr. Kenny Anthony and including former Jamaica prime minister Bruce Golding and the former Bahamian government leader, Perry Christie.
“The availability of the calendar will no doubt give a boost to the critical ongoing preparatory stages of the electoral process such as the registration of political parties, platforms and coalitions as well as the registration of voters,” said the three-member diplomatic team appointed by CARICOM leaders to broker political consensus and stability in Haiti.
The EPG under cored the importance of the CEP working closely with all stakeholders as the preparatory stages for the general elections unfold, and whose first round for the presidency and the legislature, as well as for constitutional reform, will take place on December 13th, 2026.
The EPG said it is also urging all stakeholders to “engage in the process and to assist in ensuring that all the requirements and procedures are fulfilled so that the Haitian people can, through free and credible elections, choose their government and secure the restoration of constitutional order.
”As highlighted by the CEP, improvements in the overall security situation are critical inputs for the success of the electoral process.
“In this regard, the EPG urges the contributing countries to the Gang Suppression Force (GSF) to deploy their personnel as early as possible in order to bolster the capacity of the international security assistance to Haiti through the GSF well before the first round of the elections.”
Last weekend, Prime Minister Alix Didier Fils-Aimé reiterated his government’s commitment to strengthening the security, institutional, and logistical conditions essential for the success of the electoral process.
Prime Minister Fils-Aimé, who chaired a high-level strategic session dedicated to the implementation of the electoral decree, assured that all necessary resources would be mobilized to provide the CEP with the support required to fulfill its mission in the best interests of the nation.
The event over the weekend was held under the theme “The Involvement of the Public Administration in the Application of the Electoral Decree” and brought together members of the government, senior officials of the public administration, CEP president, Jacques Desrosiers, as well as representatives of the national security forces, and international partners committed to supporting the democratic process.
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