2026 Haitian general election
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
General elections are due to be held in Haiti in two rounds on 30 August and 6 December 2026. The presidency, all seats in the Senate and the Chamber of Deputies, and local and municipal offices will be contested.
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30 August 2026 (first round)
6 December 2026 (second round) | |||||
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Presidential election | |||||
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All 119 seats in the Chamber of Deputies All 30 seats in the Senate | |||||
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The elections have been repeatedly delayed starting from 2019, through the presidency of Jovenel Moïse, the acting premiership of Ariel Henry, and the leadership of the Transitional Presidential Council. The council originally scheduled elections for November 2025 and January 2026 but was delayed to 30 August and 6 December 2026 due to the ongoing gang war and lack of funding.
Background
Presidency of Jovenel Moïse
The most recent Haitian elections were held in 2015 and 2016, which were marred with allegations of widespread fraud. Jovenel Moïse was inaugurated as president on 7 February 2017 after an electoral tribunal had found evidence of "some irregularities" but not enough to change the outcome of the November 2016 election.[1][2] The next parliamentary election had been scheduled for 27 October 2019,[3] but was delayed, and Moïse ruled by presidential decree after dismissing many lawmakers in 2020.[4] In 2021, mass street demonstrations and violent protest marches began across Haiti on 14 January in protest at his plan to stay one more year in power. Moïse was assassinated by gunmen at his home in Port-au-Prince on 7 July 2021.[5][6][7]
Acting premiership of Ariel Henry
On 8 July, acting prime minister Claude Joseph's office announced that despite the assassination, the parliamentary elections would still be held on the date set by the Provisional Electoral Council and that members of the opposition would be included in election timetable talks.[8] Ariel Henry was appointed as acting prime minister later that month, though he was never confirmed by the parliament.[9] Elections were due to be held on 26 September 2021,[10] before being delayed to 7 November 2021.[11]
In 2022, Henry stated that the government would begin the organization of elections by the end of 2022,[12] but was delayed to 2023.[13] There were no elected officials left in the country after January 2023, leaving all power to acting prime minister Henry.[14][15] In March 2024, Henry agreed to resign once the Transitional Presidential Council was formed after being prevented from returning to Haiti due to gangs controlling much of Port-au-Prince.[16]
Transitional Presidential Council
In April 2024, the Transitional Presidential Council was formed, with a mandate until 7 February 2026.[17] In January 2025, Leslie Voltaire, the chairman of the Transitional Presidential Council, said that two-round general elections will be held on 15 November 2025 and in early January 2026.[18][2] However, in October 2025, the head of the Provisional Electoral Council, Jacques Desrosiers, announced that holding an election before February 2026 is "impossible" due to the ongoing gang violence and a lack of funding.[19]
On 14 November, the Provisional Electoral Council submitted a new election calendar and a list of steps to be implemented over the following months before elections can be held. The election campaign will begin in March 2026, with electoral lists to be published on 31 July 2026, the first round of voting to be held on 30 August 2026, the second round on 6 December 2026, and the inauguration of a new president on 7 February 2027.[20][21] The proposal was approved by the Transitional Presidential Council on 1 December 2025.[22]
Acting premiership of Alix Didier Fils-Aimé
After the mandate of the Transitional Presidential Council expired on 7 February 2026, the "National Pact for Stability and the Organization of Elections" was signed by several political parties and civil society groups to support acting prime minister Alix Didier Fils-Aimé as the sole executive of Haiti until elections are held.[23] On 27 February, the Provisional Electoral Council announced it would register political parties for the elections from 2–12 March.[24] A list of 282 political parties approved to run in the election was published on 20 March, with the window for party registration remaining open until 1 April. Candidate registration was planned for 13 April to 15 May.[25] However, it was delayed after the government paused the electoral process after rejecting the budget requested by the electoral council. Fils-Aimé said that the government still plans to hold elections before the end of the year to install elected officials by 7 February 2027, and that the first round may be delayed until December 2026.[26]
Electoral system
The President of Haiti is elected using the two-round system, with a second round held if no candidate wins a majority of the vote in the first round.
The 119 members of the Chamber of Deputies are elected in single-member constituencies for four-year terms using a modified two-round system; a candidate must receive either over 50% of the vote, or have a lead over the second-placed candidate equivalent to 25% of the valid votes in order to be elected in the first round; if no candidate meets this requirement, a second round is held, in which the candidate with the most votes wins.[27]
One third of the 30-member Senate is elected every two years. The members are elected from ten single-member constituencies based on the departments, also using the two-round system.[28] For the upcoming election, in each department the candidate with the largest number of votes will serve a six-year term, the second place finisher will serve four years, and the third place for two years.[29]
Leading candidate
| No. | Portrait | Name |
Party | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | |
Edgard Leblanc Fils |
OPL | |
| 2 | .jpg) |
Leslie Voltaire |
FL | |
| 3 | (cropped).jpg){kind=spacer} |
Fritz Jean |
Inite | |
| 4 |  |
Laurent Saint-Cyr |
None (Private sector) | |
Final list of candidates
- Mirlande Manigat, a longtime opposition leader, professor, and former first lady.[30]
Political parties
A total of 320 political parties registered for the election with the Provisional Electoral Council, with a final list of approved parties and coalitions to be published on 26 March 2026.[31] A list of 282 parties that were approved was released on 20 March. Notably, the Haitian Tèt Kale Party of former president Michel Martelly and the Résistance Démocratique of former president Jovenel Moïse were not among them.[25]
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