Haiti expands voter registration ahead of Dec. 13 elections

Haiti’s Provisional Electoral Council (CEP) entered its second week of voter registration on July 30, extending the process to the West Department despite ongoing gang insecurity. Registration is currently limited to ten centers in Pétion‑Ville, Delmas and Tabarre, with CEP President Jacques Desrosiers saying more centers will open as conditions allow. The registration drive precedes the first round of presidential and legislative elections and a constitutional referendum scheduled for Dec. 13, the first national vote in a decade.

Seventeen political coalitions have filed to contest the elections, among them Ayiti Transforme – a 12‑party alliance led by former deputy Jean David Genesté – and Soley, a 14‑entity bloc headed by Wadner Édouard. A third coalition, Delivrans, brings together ten parties under Dchina Guillet Délatour. In total, 316 approved parties will also run individually. The CEP has been coordinating with the government for months to organize the vote amid the country’s worst gang‑related violence and disputes over the electoral budget and decree.