Haiti has postponed its presidential and legislative elections until July 18, 2027, abandoning a December vote as escalating gang violence and prolonged institutional instability continue to prevent the country from holding elections. The first round will coincide with a constitutional referendum, while a second round, including presidential and legislative run-offs and local elections, is scheduled for October 4.
The revised calendar, announced by the Provisional Electoral Council (CEP), moves the campaign opening to April 15, 2027. Candidate registration will remain open until February 9, while voter registration has been extended to May 20.
The council said the updated timetable was intended to maintain the electoral process despite the difficulties facing the country. “The updated calendar aims to facilitate the continuation of electoral operations under conditions that allow the stakeholders concerned to fulfill their obligations in accordance with the provisions of the legal framework,” it said in a statement.
The CEP pledged to proceed “with dialogue, professionalism and rigor”, with the objective of organising elections that are inclusive, credible and transparent. It also reaffirmed “the right of each citizen to participate in the democratic life of the country”.
The electoral authority’s latest figures show nearly 890,000 people registered on the electoral roll, compared with an estimated 7.7 million people of voting age. Despite repeated postponements, candidates have continued to register for the elections.
According to the council’s provisional list, 19 candidates have registered for the presidency, 369 for the Senate, 1,293 for the Chamber of Deputies and 5,623 for local elections. The total number of registered candidates across the different elected positions exceeds 7,300.
Haiti has not held elections since 2016, when Jovenel Moïse won the presidency. He took office in February 2017 and was assassinated at his residence in Port-au-Prince on July 7, 2021.
No elected official has occupied any position in Haiti’s state structure since his killing. Successive transitional administrations have failed to organise elections, while Prime Minister Alix Didier Fils-Aimé has governed on an interim basis since November 10, 2024.
The elections were initially scheduled for August 30 this year before political and security conditions forced a postponement to December 13. That date was subsequently abandoned, with the latest calendar moving the first round to July 2027.
The postponements have coincided with expanding gang control. Armed groups dominate much of Port-au-Prince, while the Gang Suppression Force (GSF), established in September 2025 under a United Nations Security Council mandate, remains the principal force deployed against them. Its mandate was renewed for six months when it reached its first anniversary.
The latest electoral delay comes as hundreds of Salvadoran soldiers search for four colleagues who disappeared after an armed gang ambushed them on the outskirts of Port-au-Prince on October 18. The missing personnel belonged to the GSF.
The security crisis has continued through successive transitional administrations, leaving the electoral process dependent on conditions that the authorities have so far been unable to establish.
Candidate registration and voter enrolment are now scheduled to continue into 2027, with the campaign due to begin on April 15 and the first round of presidential and legislative elections set for July 18.
