Haiti’s electoral process remains stalled as Prime Minister Alix Didier Fils-Aimé continues to reject the budget proposals submitted by the Provisional Electoral Council (CEP). After dismissing an initial $250 million plan as “unacceptable and absurd,” the Prime Minister expressed his dissatisfaction with a revised $225 million budget submitted on April 28. “We cannot yet rule on the budget presented by the CEP. I am not yet satisfied,” Fils-Aimé stated during an exclusive interview in Rome on May 9, 2026, adding that the final figure must reflect the state’s actual resources.
The CEP defends the high costs by pointing to the lack of international logistical support previously provided by MINUSTAH and USAID. They also highlight new expenses, such as voter registration, the establishment of tabulation centers in every department, and the implementation of the diaspora vote. However, the Prime Minister’s framework letter from August 2025 had only allocated $67.5 million for both the constitutional referendum and the general elections. As of Tuesday, May 12, the country is still without an electoral decree, a calendar, or an approved budget, while gangs continue to occupy strategic areas like the Artibonite department, home to the country’s second-largest voting population.
