The US Chargé d’Affaires to Haiti, Henry T. Wooster, clarified during an official interview with Le Nouvelliste on Wednesday, June 17, 2026, that the United States government will not dictate who can participate in Haiti’s upcoming democratic elections. However, the diplomat explicitly noted that Washington would discourage seeing individuals currently sanctioned by the US government entering the political race.
Wooster emphasized the legal distinction between unilateral administrative sanctions and formal court convictions, stating that they operate under different legal frameworks. “Decisions regarding individuals running for office in Haiti do not belong to the United States government. Neither to this embassy, nor to Washington. This is an issue that belongs to the Haitian authorities and Haitian voters,” Wooster indicated, while urging local leadership to engage in “serious reflection” on candidate eligibility. The diplomat concluded by reaffirming that the core geopolitical interest of the United States remains focused on whether the upcoming electoral process will successfully strengthen long-term regional stability.
