Overview:
Haiti’s Provisional Electoral Council has begun receiving candidate documents for the Dec. 13 elections, but security concerns have forced the agency to redirect filings for candidates in 19 electoral districts. The Organization of American States is also urging authorities to address candidate eligibility and possible links to illicit activities under Haitian law.
PORT-AU-PRINCE — Haiti’s Provisional Electoral Council (CEP) began receiving candidate documents Sept. 13 for the country’s upcoming presidential, legislative and local elections, with the filing period running through Sept. 22.
But security concerns have forced the electoral authority to change where candidates in 19 electoral districts submit their documents, requiring some for the Chamber of Deputies and local government positions to file with departmental offices rather than their local electoral offices.
In a Sept. 12 notice, the CEP said Senate candidates must submit their documents to the appropriate Departmental Electoral Office (BED). Candidates for the Chamber of Deputies and local government positions generally file through Municipal Electoral Offices (BEC).
For some constituencies, however, the councilors said the respective BEDs will receive candidate declarations directly “to address certain constraints and ensure the continuity of the process.”
“To address certain constraints and ensure the continuity of the process in some communes, the Electoral Council specifies that candidacy declarations for deputy and local government positions will be received directly by the respective BEDs,” the CEP noted.
In the West Department, candidates for president and Senate seats must submit their documents at the West I BED, located at the CEP annex on Route de Frères, Pétion-Ville.
“To address certain constraints and ensure the continuity of the process in some communes, the Electoral Council specifies that candidacy declarations for deputy and local government positions will be received directly by the respective BEDs.
The CEP
The West I BED will also receive documents from candidates for the Chamber of Deputies and local government positions in Carrefour, Gressier, Kenscoff, Cabaret, Cornillon/Grand-Bois, Croix-des-Bouquets, Fonds-Verrettes, Ganthier, Thomazeau and Port-au-Prince III.
In Artibonite, candidates from Grande-Saline, La Chapelle, Liancourt, Marchand-Dessalines, Montrouis, Petite-Rivière de l’Artibonite and Verrettes must submit their documents to the Artibonite BED.
Candidates from gang-controlled Mirebalais and Saut-d’Eau must file with the Centre BED.
The CEP did not identify individual security incidents in each constituency in its notice but said the changes were necessary to address constraints and keep the electoral process moving.
As of early afternoon Sept. 14, The Haitian Times observed no candidates at the specified CEP location to submit their documents.
CEP adjusts filing procedures amid security concerns
The changes illustrate how Haiti’s security crisis is affecting the logistics of the electoral process even before campaigning begins.
Several of the affected areas have experienced attacks by armed groups or face restrictions on movement. Kenscoff, for example, has been repeatedly targeted by armed groups, while violence in the metropolitan area has displaced large numbers of residents.
The CEP said it remains committed to conducting the electoral process in an “inclusive, impartial, transparent and responsible” manner and to protecting citizens’ right to participate in public life.
Candidate filings enter a critical phase
The filing period follows a contentious party-registration process in which organizations were required to submit thousands of members before their candidates could move forward.
The CEP previously said 25 political parties and coalitions had submitted the required 30,000 members. Political organizations have also raised allegations involving duplicate identification numbers, rejected identification numbers and other problems with the registration platform.
The CEP extended the online candidate-registration period through Sept. 20. Under the revised electoral calendar, the council will analyze candidate files through Sept. 28, publish a preliminary list Sept. 29 and release the final list of approved candidates Oct. 14.
The Dec. 13 election date has drawn criticism from some political figures, who question whether authorities can organize the vote amid continuing insecurity and challenges within the electoral process.
The Organization of American States has also urged Haitian authorities to address concerns about candidate eligibility and possible links to illicit activities transparently and in accordance with Haitian law and international electoral standards.
In a Sept. 3 report to the OAS Permanent Council, Secretary General Albert Ramdin said security and elections are Haiti’s two most urgent and interconnected priorities. He said preparations for the Dec. 13 elections needed to accelerate and that concerns about candidates’ eligibility or possible links to illicit activities should be addressed under the law.
“There will be no elections on Dec. 13,” lawyer André Michel wrote on X on Sept. 11, citing what he described as the views of a majority of political actors consulted by CARICOM.
Michel said those actors had called for improved security and what he described as “reassuring governance” before elections could take place.
For now, the CEP is moving ahead with candidate filings while making adjustments to accommodate constituencies where local electoral offices cannot operate normally.
