Fugitive leader’s political party among whopping 320 registered for Haiti’s 2026 elections

PORT-AU-PRINCE —  More than 300 political parties have registered to participate in Haiti’s general elections, a Provisional Electoral Council (CEP) spokesperson said via local media after reaching the final day for candidates to submit required documents. Among the 320 registered are several familiar politicians, a host of new, creatively-named parties signaling their top priorities and unexpected personalities such as fugitive Arnel Belizaire, who is wanted for escaping prison.

CEP President Jacques Desrosiers said 110 parties registered on the last day of the process that launched March 2. Another 210 had submitted their materials over the nine days prior. 

Outside of the CEP’s headquarters Thursday, party representatives, their entourages and local media  – mixed with rara bands, street food vendors – formed crowds throughout the day that often turned festive. Members of the EDE (Committed to Development), politician Rene Civil, of Patriotic Emergence, and former deputy Abel Decollines of CAHDOA (Collective of Actors for Development and Alternative Organization).

Bélizaire — a former lawmaker who escaped from prison following his conviction on arms trafficking tied to financing local gangs and conspiracy to overturn the government —  was among the 110 parties registered on March 12. His appearance at the electoral office is notable because authorities had issued a warrant for his arrest about two months ago, and he had not been seen publicly since. 

Belizaire, according to various news archives, also has a checkered past that involves various prison stints and former Haitian President Michel Martelly allegedly spitting in his face during a heated altercation. Belizaire, then a deputy representing the Delmas/Tabarre area, was arrested soon after. That year, police spotted his name on a list of inmates who escaped from the National Penitentiary, where he had been detained since 2005 on an illegal weapons charge, the day of the deadly 2010 earthquake. He was recaptured the same year.

After escaping prison a second time in January 2010, Belizaire was elected to the Haitian Parliament in a March 2011 runoff election as a member of the Veye Yo—Haitian Creole for ‘watch them’—party.

He was rearrested on Nov. 30, 2019, and convicted a year later on charges of arms trafficking and sedition, which carry a 15-year sentence. 

In 2024, Belizaire escaped from the National Penitentiary when gangs broke into the jail and let loose 3,600 prisoners. After his name began to appear in alleged criminal or suspect activities recently, authorities issued the latest warrant to capture and bring him back into custody. 

Belizaire belongs to the “Liberation Platform” political party. When he arrived to register, police officers were at the headquarters providing crowd security. However, no arrest was made.

Lack of security still makes holding elections uncertain

Haiti’s Provisional Electoral Council (CEP) launched the formal registration of political parties and coalitions Monday as part of preparations for general elections scheduled later this year. After reviewing the registration files submitted, the council will publish the final list of approved parties and coalitions on March 26. Once cleared, the council will conduct the first round of voting, scheduled for Aug. 30, and a second round on Dec. 5.

Despite the procedural momentum, major questions remain about whether the elections can be conducted safely or financed transparently, observers and citizens have asked. More than 90% of the capital remains under gang control, according to international estimates, with armed groups blocking key roads and attacking hospitals, schools and neighborhoods. More than 1.4 million people have been displaced, many without access to voter identification cards.

Also, the government has not yet published the electoral budget, leaving the cost of the process unclear. Insecurity also continues to threaten preparations.The Haitian National Police (PNH) has said preparations are underway. PNH Director General André Jonas Vladimir Paraison told the Associated Press last month that officers were drafting a security plan for the elections and recently deployed nearly 900 new recruits.

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