Sawt Falasteen - Gang-plagued Haiti sets election dates for 2027

Elections are seen as a crucial step to stabilizing the government and tackling rampant crime in Haiti, which has been engulfed for years by gang warfare and political chaos.

Its last president was assassinated in 2021 and has not been replaced, and it has previously postponed scheduled ballots.

The first round of presidential and legislative elections has now been set for July 18, 2027, the country's Provisional Electoral Council said Wednesday evening.

A second round will take place on October 4, 2027 with final results announced on October 23.

The country, the poorest in the Americas, was due to hold presidential and legislative elections this December and next February, but postponed them several weeks ago. It last held elections in 2016.

- Mired in violence -

The Caribbean country has long endured political, economic and security turmoil, but the situation has deteriorated in recent years as gangs step up killings, kidnappings, rape and child recruitment.

Of its approximately 11 million inhabitants, nearly 1.5 million are internally displaced by violence, according to the International Organization for Migration, which has stressed that attacks were not confined to the capital Port-au-Prince.

The security crisis has presented challenges to organizing a vote.

Several municipalities under gang control do not have registration centers, and gangs often close roads to several parts of the island nation.

The country's gang violence has left at least 5,700 people dead or wounded this year while more than 1,000 women and girls have been raped, UN human rights chief Volker Turk said in early October.

The figures, compiled by the UN mission in Haiti up to September 11, also include at least 230 kidnappings, Turk said, adding that "the real figures are likely much higher."

A UN-backed Gang Suppression Force (GSF) is being slowly deployed to assist overwhelmed local police. The mission is intended to reach 5,500 personnel but only has about 1,500 so far.

In September the UN Security Council approved a six-month extension of the mandate for the GSF, emphasizing "the importance of ensuring security conditions conducive to holding free and fair elections."

B.Mahmoud--SF-PST