Haiti to hold first elections in nearly 10 years as authorities announce August 2026 polls, stressing the urgent need for nationwide security.
Gang-ravaged Haiti has taken its most significant step in nearly a decade toward restoring democratic governance after transitional authorities on Tuesday announced that the country will hold its long-delayed general elections in August 2026.
The Provisional Electoral Council, which issued the decree, cautioned that a return to nationwide security remains the single most critical condition for the polls to take place.
“The restoration of security is a prerequisite for holding the first round” of legislative and presidential elections, said the council’s president, Jacques Desrosiers.
Haiti, the poorest nation in the Americas, has been engulfed in escalating political and security turmoil. The crisis deepened dramatically in early 2024 when then–Prime Minister Ariel Henry was forced to resign after armed gangs tightened their grip on the capital, Port-au-Prince.
The country has not held any national election since October 2016, and its last democratically elected president, Jovenel Moïse, was assassinated in July 2021, leaving Haiti under interim governance and increasing the power vacuum exploited by well-armed criminal groups.
Today, gangs control vast areas of the capital, driving widespread killings, rape, kidnapping and mass displacement. The UN reported in October that more than 16,000 people have been killed in armed violence since 2022.
The announcement triggered swift international reaction. In a statement on Tuesday, the US State Department welcomed the decision and urged Haitian political actors, civil society and the global community to close ranks in support of Haiti’s stability.
“The Haitian people have waited for nearly a decade to democratically elect their leadership,” the statement said.
Washington also confirmed that a conference will hold in New York on December 9 to “generate force contributions for the Gang Suppression Force,” intended to reinforce Haiti’s embattled security operations.
Although the UN approved a multinational security mission in 2023, limited funding and equipment have undermined its effectiveness. In September, the UN Security Council approved a redesign of the mission into a more assertive anti-gang force.
Haiti is currently governed by the Transitional Presidential Council, whose mandate expires in February 2026—months before the newly announced election date.
Council president Laurent Saint-Cyr hailed the adoption of the electoral decree, describing it as a defining moment for a country desperate for political renewal.
The decision “finally offers the Haitian people the opportunity to freely and responsibly choose those who should lead them,” he said.
“By taking this decisive step, while we remain fully committed to restoring security, we reaffirm our commitment to putting Haiti back on the path to democratic legitimacy and stability,” he added in a post on X.
With armed groups still entrenched and humanitarian conditions worsening, Haiti’s ability to meet the 2026 deadline will depend heavily on whether domestic authorities and international partners can reclaim control from gangs long before voters head to the polls.
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