When will elections be organized to bring the country out of its endless cycle of transition? Neither the Electoral Council nor the government currently has an answer. While the electoral calendar published last year had scheduled the first round of presidential and legislative elections for August 30 of this year, authorities now aim to harmonize the National Pact for Stability with the electoral decree before setting a new date.
Not only is there no election date, but there is also no timeline for the end of this third phase of transition led by Prime Minister Alix Didier Fils-Aimé and his allies since February 7. “As we speak, the August 30 date no longer stands, and no new election date has been scheduled,” an electoral advisor told Le Nouvelliste after a meeting with the Prime Minister.
The president of the Provisional Electoral Council (CEP), Jacques Desrosiers, confirmed that no date has been set for elections. “We are first working on aligning the electoral decree with the National Pact for Stability before addressing the electoral calendar,” he stated. This harmonization requires incorporating provisions from Articles 12 and 14 of the pact, which include constitutional changes. He also clarified that there will be no separate referendum decree; instead, the electoral decree will cover both constitutional amendments and upcoming elections.
Another CEP source indicated that the executive must publish the specific constitutional changes it intends to implement. According to this source, the Prime Minister described these changes as minor, including reducing municipal councils to a single member instead of three and limiting senators to a single term.
A joint commission involving representatives from the CEP, the Prime Minister’s office, and the Ministry of Justice is expected to be formed to work on the necessary documents for constitutional changes and election organization.
Discussions have also emerged informally regarding potential changes to CEP members. However, this issue was not officially addressed during the April 9 meeting with the Prime Minister. A CEP source warned that any government-led changes to the council could be perceived as an attempt to control the electoral body and delay the process.
Regarding the election budget, the CEP president acknowledged that the government has expressed “reservations” about the proposed amount, and no final budget has been approved.
Despite these uncertainties, Jacques Desrosiers maintains that elections could still take place this year, although this appears increasingly unlikely given the ongoing adjustments. Initially, the first round was planned for late August, with a second round on December 6—meaning any delay would automatically shift the entire schedule.
Both CEP officials described the meeting with the Prime Minister as cordial. In a statement, the CEP confirmed that discussions held on April 9, 2026, at the Villa d’Accueil focused on aligning the electoral decree with the National Pact for Stability, as well as on the electoral budget and calendar.
The Prime Minister’s office also stated that both parties agreed on a shared priority: organizing democratic, inclusive, and credible elections as soon as possible, under conditions ensuring transparency, security, and citizen participation.
Earlier, the CEP had already announced the postponement of voter registration and candidate enrollment operations, originally scheduled for April 1 and April 13, 2026, due to these ongoing adjustments.
