Haiti is unlikely to meet the deadline to hold presidential elections in 2026, new PM warns

Haiti is unlikely to meet the February 2026 deadline for electing a new president, its interim prime minister warned. In a recent interview, Garry Conille has expressed doubts about the feasibility of meeting the deadline, saying that without urgent international support, particularly for the security mission and humanitarian aid, it would be "extremely difficult" to have a new president sworn in by February 2026. Nevertheless, he emphasized the government's commitment to achieving this goal.

Conille recently requested an assessment mission to identify gaps in the electoral process during a meeting with international partners. The United States has been advocating for elections since the arrival of Kenyan police officers tasked with helping their local counterparts fight off criminal gangs, but the mission still faces challenges, including insufficient manpower, funding, and equipment.

Guatemala has offered to contribute personnel to the security mission, proposing to deploy a military police contingent. During the aforementioned meeting, Conille stressed the importance of enhancing security to enable elections. He called for the expansion of the multinational security force and urged foreign governments to provide more funding beyond the $21 million contributed to a United Nations trust fund. Security improvements, he noted, are crucial for holding elections, the last of which occurred in 2016.

In the interview, Conille also discussed the need for additional resources, saying that his government is working closely with the police, the Kenyan mission, and other government functions to improve security. Although Conille quickly assembled a new government after his selection in May, progress has been slow due to ongoing challenges, including a corruption scandal involving some members of the presidential council and disputes over appointments to key government positions.

The presidential council faces further obstacles in forming a nine-member Provisional Electoral Council to organize the elections. Disagreements among the country's sectors about representation have delayed the process. Additionally, Haiti must update its voter rolls following significant population displacement over the past three years due to violence. Electoral reforms, called for by the European Union before the 2021 assassination of President Jovenel Moïse, remain unaddressed.

Meanwhile, Haiti continues to face a severe humanitarian crisis. The United Nations recently reported that only 24.2% of the $674 million needed for a humanitarian response plan has been funded, despite the need to assist over 5 million Haitians and nearly 600,000 people displaced by gang violence. The U.N. described the situation in Haiti as "alarming," noting a rise in sexual violence against women and girls, even as the number of killings decreased between April and June.