Haiti: General Elections Postponed to November 7

On Wednesday, Haiti’s Provisional Electoral Council (CEP) informed Prime Minister Ariel Henry that the date of the first round of the presidential elections will change from September 26 to November 7. On this day, the parliamentary elections and the constitutional referendum will also take place.

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The elections for local authorities will be held on January 23, 2022, the day on which the second round of the presidential and legislative elections will be carried out.

The assassination of President Jovenel Moise forced Haitians to postpone the elections for the umpteenth time. Since July 2018, their country has been going through an unprecedented political, social and economic crisis, which has often been accompanied by violent anti-government protests.

During the Moise administration (2017-2021), the reform to the Constitution was harshly criticized by the opposition, the Church, businessmen, unions, and other social groups. International institutions such as the United Nations also criticized the consultation process related to constitutional reform, considering that it was not sufficiently inclusive.

On Monday, Judge Mathieu Chanlatte was appointed to take over the judicial investigation into the murder of President Moise. He is recognized as an experienced judge who has worked in several important processes, including the Dermalog case, which involves Martine Moise, who is accused of having improperly awarded a German company a contract to manufacture identity cards.

On July 7, Moise was assassinated by a commando of 26 mercenaries, mostly former Colombian soldiers. According to the latest police data, 44 people are detained, including 18 Colombian mercenaries and three Haitian Americans.

Prime Minister Henry and Moise's widow, however, said the masterminds of the murder have not yet been arrested. The Haitian Foreign Affairs Ministry requested assistance from the United Nations to carry out an international investigation into this case.