Can't read it? Listen now!
Haiti’s Provisional Electoral Council (CEP) officially took office on Friday, marking a significant step toward organizing national elections scheduled for late November 2025. This move comes nearly a decade after the country’s last elections, held between 2015 and 2016. Haiti has since lacked elected officials, leaving the country in political limbo.
Seven of the nine designated CEP members were sworn in during a ceremony at the School of Magistrature in Tabarre, Port-au-Prince. The remaining two seats, representing the women’s and human rights sectors, remain vacant as those groups have yet to finalize their representatives.
The newly installed members include Jacceus Joseph, representing the agricultural sector; Schnaida Adely from the voodoo sector; Nemrod Sanon from the Union sector; Florence Mathier from the university sector; Patrick Saint-Hilaire representing the Catholic Church; Peterson Pierre Louis from the Protestant sector; and Jacques Desrosiers representing the press.
Initially, the swearing-in ceremony was set to take place at the Court of Cassation in downtown Port-au-Prince but had to be relocated due to heavy gunfire from armed gangs in the area. Despite the security challenges, the event proceeded in the presence of Prime Minister Garry Conille and members of the Presidential Transition Council (CPT).
The day before the swearing-in, CEP members met with representatives from the CPT to discuss the upcoming elections. According to the Haitian presidency, the meeting addressed key challenges such as securing the electoral process and ensuring transparency and inclusiveness.
Haiti has faced growing insecurity since the assassination of President Jovenel Moise in July 2021, and restoring order remains a central focus of the interim government. The CEP’s mission is to ensure that Haiti holds transparent elections, allowing the next elected president to take office by February 7, 2026.
