“It is not possible to hold an election before February 7, 2026,” says former Prime Minister Claude Joseph

Since the statement by US Chargé d'Affaires in Haiti, Henry H. Wooster, last weekend, debates surrounding the holding of elections in the country and the departure of the council have intensified in the media and on social networks. In his statement, the diplomat urged Haitian authorities to set in motion the electoral machine. Political party leader, former head of government, Claude Joseph believes it is impossible to hold elections in 2025. Speaking on the show Impasse on SCOOP FM, Mr. Joseph stated that the priority of the moment should not be elections. According to him, the focus must be on security. He considers the improvement of security conditions as the main condition for any successful electoral process. “Today, a citizen cannot go from Port-au-Prince to Fontamara, nor from Carrefour to Léogâne without risking their life,” he lamented. For him, “the security of the population must be the absolute priority before considering elections or a referendum.” He acknowledges, however, the role that the gang repression force can play. He warns, however, against any bureaucratic slowness. “It takes between three and six months before the presence of elements of this force becomes effective. This makes any election before 2026 improbable.” Towards the Adoption of a Concerted Political Plan The former head of the Haitian Prime Minister's Office notes that the Transitional Presidential Council has not fulfilled its main mission as stipulated by the April 3, 2024 agreement. According to him, “the CPT has failed across the board,” unable to respond to the aspirations of the Haitian people or to prepare the necessary conditions for holding elections. The former Prime Minister considers this failure “a clear and indisputable observation,” calling for “a republican resurgence” and “a national reorganization,” involving political actors and civil society. For the leader of the EDE party, the time is no longer for division, but for consultation. “We must organize with the signatories of the April 3, 2024 agreement, our partners, and our allies to define a formula to replace the CPT,” he insisted. While advocating for the establishment of a consensus government, he added, “We must choose honest people, capable of not using the state apparatus to favor one group against another,” while rejecting the idea of a direct transfer of power to the Court of Cassation. Finally, Claude Joseph calls for an “orderly departure” of the Transitional Presidential Council, to avoid a new political crisis. According to the former head of government, only a concerted, transparent, and inclusive approach can extricate Haiti from the “chronic instability” in which it is plunged.