Haiti’s transition will end with elections, prime minister says

Haiti’s political transition will end with elections, Prime Minister Alix Didier Fils-Aime told the UN General Assembly on Friday, saying the process should help break the country’s cycle of instability and restore hope for future generations.

“The transition must come to an end, and it will come to an end through elections,” Fils-Aime said, according to the UN. He added that registration centres had opened and citizens were registering to vote.

Election preparations under way

Political parties and candidates are also completing procedures to participate in the vote, the prime minister said. The Provisional Electoral Council has scheduled the first round of presidential and legislative elections for Dec. 13, with a possible second round in February.

The elections would be Haiti’s first general elections since 2016. Preparations have continued despite persistent insecurity and the presence of armed gangs across large parts of the country.

Government pledges to strengthen security

Fils-Aime highlighted government efforts to reinforce Haiti’s security forces as authorities seek to confront armed gangs.

“We are training more than 4,000 police officers, as well as 1,500 soldiers, and we will establish a programme to train another 15,000 over three years,” he said.

He thanked the Organization of American States and the European Union for supporting efforts to fight the gangs. International partners have called for stronger assistance to Haitian security forces and the deployment of the Gang Suppression Force.

The Transitional Presidential Council’s mandate ended in February, leaving Fils-Aime and his Cabinet in charge of the interim period. Restoring security has become a key government priority ahead of the elections.

Prime minister recalls Haiti’s history

Fils-Aime also invoked Haiti’s history as the world’s first Black republic and its struggle for independence.

“I bring you the voice of a people who have left their name etched in the pages of history by breaking free from the chains of slavery and giving birth, on a land conquered through sacrifice, blood, sweat and tears, to the first Black republic in the world,” he said.