PORT-AU-PRINCE — Haiti’s Provisional Electoral Council (CEP) has officially published a revised electoral calendar, maintaining Aug. 30, 2026, as the target date for the first round of national elections while adjusting several key steps in the timeline. The vote would include presidential, legislative, local and municipal races, with a second round scheduled on Dec. 6, 2026.

The calendar was released Dec. 23, weeks after the government adopted a new electoral decree. Together, the two documents mark a procedural milestone for a country that has not held elections since 2016, when President Jovenel Moïse— assassinated in July 2021— was elected. Since then, authorities have repeatedly failed to meet electoral deadlines.

The revised timeline lays out 27 steps extending through February 2027, when a newly elected president would be inaugurated. CEP officials say the publication is meant to provide clarity and restore a minimum level of confidence in the process. Still, they stress that the calendar remains contingent on security conditions.

Progress amid persistent fragility

In recent months, the CEP has taken several preparatory steps, including:

• Conducting a three-day training for journalists on the electoral process.
• Publishing the new electoral decree.
• Registering more than 200 political parties.
• Assessing potential voting centers in nine of Haiti’s 10 departments.

“These actions represent progress,” the council officials said, “but they do not guarantee elections.”

Haiti’s history offers a cautionary backdrop. Since the end of Michel Martelly’s term in 2016, repeated attempts to organize elections have been derailed by political instability, insecurity, logistical failures and a lack of consensus among key actors. A series of provisional arrangements in a never-ending transition has governed the country.

Security and funding remain decisive

The CEP reiterated that two prerequisites will determine whether the Aug. 30 vote can take place: the restoration of security nationwide and full financing of the electoral process.

According to the council, at least 23 communes across the West, Artibonite, Centre and Northwest departments are currently under the control or influence of armed gangs. In several areas, officials say the state is effectively absent, making it impossible to establish communal electoral offices or safely deploy staff.

“To organize elections across the entire territory, the Provisional Electoral Council must be able to access all communes and communal sections and operate there throughout the process,” the CEP said in a statement. “An acceptable security climate implies protection for council members, electoral workers and voters alike.”

Haiti enters 2026 with more than 1.4 million people displaced by gang violence, according to humanitarian agencies, while key roads linking the capital to the provinces remain unsafe or blocked. The Haitian National Police continues to struggle with limited resources, and the multinational security support mission has yet to significantly reverse gang control.

Funding is another unresolved challenge. Organizing nationwide elections requires tens of millions of dollars, much of which Haiti does not currently have. The CEP is relying on international partners, including the United Nations, the European Union, the Organization of American States and the Caribbean Community (CARICOM), to help fill the gap.

Adjusted dates, unchanged uncertainty

The revised calendar includes several changes, notably pushing back party and candidate registration deadlines and extending the distribution period for electoral materials. Voter registration is still scheduled to run from April 1 to June 29, 2026, a critical phase that will depend heavily on the capacity of the National Identification Office to operate in insecure areas.

Despite the adjustments, observers note that the calendar remains ambitious given current conditions. Any major deterioration in security — or delays in funding — could again force revisions or postponement.

For now, the CEP insists the Aug. 30 date remains achievable, provided conditions improve. Whether Haiti can finally break its cycle of missed electoral deadlines will depend less on the calendar itself than on the country’s ability to stabilize, secure its territory and mobilize the political will needed to see the process through.

The post Inside Haiti’s road to 2026 elections: CEP revises calendar, keeps Aug. 30 vote date appeared first on The Haitian Times.