Haiti’s Labadie to hold crucial election for coordination committee president on Dec. 14

CAP-HAÏTIEN — Labadie will hold one of its most consequential local elections in years on Dec. 14, as the northern coastal community of about 8,000 residents faces mounting economic hardship following Royal Caribbean’s suspension of cruise visits to its private Labadee Beach resort.

The vote will determine the next president of the Committee of Coordination of Labadie (CCL), starting Jan. 1, 2026. This civil-society leadership structure plays a central role in local governance but operates outside Haiti’s national electoral system, overseen by the Provisional Electoral Council (CEP).

The CCL presidency, though not an official government post, plays an influential role in Labadie’s daily governance. In isolated communities like this coastal town — part of a communal section — where state institutions are weak or absent, these locally elected civil-society committees help coordinate essential services, infrastructure, dispute resolution, and community safety.

The Dec. 14 election is not linked to Haiti’s long-delayed national elections, tentatively set for 2026 amid gang-fueled insecurity. Instead, it is part of Labadie’s local governance system, where elected committee members address community needs in areas where the central government is largely absent.

Two front-runners in a crowded race

Twenty-two candidates are competing for the CCL presidency. The two leading contenders are former interim president Milscent Franklin and Marc Santo. The winner will be sworn in on Jan. 1.

Franklin, who served as interim president between February 2024 and November 2025 after the death of former president Exallus Charitable, said the town’s deteriorating conditions require urgent leadership.

“People are hungry, children can’t go to school, there’s no road,” Franklin said. “People are crowded up on top of each other. If you’re human, you can’t watch it.”

Candidate registration opened Nov. 6. A debate between Franklin and Santo is scheduled for Dec. 12.

As the civil-society leadership tries to fill a government void, the community remains in free fall.

In isolated and often neglected areas such as Labadie and Cap-Haïtien’s Calvaire neighborhoods, civil-society presidents work alongside the Board of Directors of the Communal Section (CASEC) to fill administrative gaps. These leaders often coordinate access to clean water, manage school or health center needs, maintain local paths, report security issues, and liaise with local police.

Labadie, a picturesque peninsula located in the Bande-du-Nord communal section, falls under the broader administrative leadership of Cap-Haïtien Mayor Angie Bell, with Maïono Tompouce serving as CASEC chief.

Cap-Haïtien authorities officially recognize the CCL president, though the mandate is not part of Haiti’s national governance framework.

Royal Caribbean halted all visits to Labadee Beach in September following a U.S. State Department “Do Not Travel” advisory due to gang violence in Port-au-Prince. The suspension is expected to last until at least April 2026.

The economic collapse that followed has been devastating, residents said.

• About 800 residents worked directly at Labadee Beach or on cruise ships.
• Hundreds more relied on the cruise economy indirectly as artisans, vendors and service workers.
• Many households can no longer afford school fees or food.
• Labadie’s health center operates only part-time, and potable water remains unsafe.

“This has gotten out of hand,” CASEC leader Tompouce said. “Everyone is in extreme misery. The CASEC can’t do anything. The only source of income was the cruises. People are crying for help from the State, but the State is weak.”

Flooding, unsafe housing construction along a canal, and inadequate infrastructure compound the crisis.

The Haitian government earns $10 in taxes from each tourist visiting Labadee Beach, and some of that money is supposed to go back to the community through services and infrastructure to support socioeconomic development. In January 2012, Labadee Beach welcomed over 700,000 visitors, according to the World Bank. Overall, Haiti was expected to receive around $7 million from the beach resort that year.

What residents expect from the next president

Beyond local coordination, residents want the next CCL president to advocate for state support and secure resources to stabilize the community.

Franklin, who worked as a server at Labadee Beach for 20 years before entering leadership, said education is one of the most urgent issues.

“Children not going to school in Labadie is a serious problem,” he said. “If children can’t go to school, something bad might start forming.”

During his interim presidency, Franklin said he worked with police to reduce robberies linked to worsening poverty.

The CCL president serves a three-year term. Local electoral officials expect 4,000 to 5,000 of Labadie’s roughly 8,000 residents to vote.

To participate in the election, residents must:

• Be at least 14 years old
• Be from Labadie or have lived there for at least three years

With the community in crisis and its main economic lifeline shut down, many residents see this election as a critical turning point.

For most, the next president can’t fail to deliver for the community while Royal Caribbean cruise ships are gone. But Franklin said, “We’re asking for help from the authorities.”

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