Mardi de la Nation: The Electoral Machine is Launched

The government enacts the electoral decree and presents a technical plan, but the feasibility of the vote in a context of extreme insecurity raises questions. PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti – December 2, 2025 – The Haitian transitional government has taken a major administrative step towards a return to constitutional order. During an official communication event, « Mardi de la Nation », the Secretary of State for Communication, Mr. Bendgy Tilias, and the Minister Delegate for Electoral Affairs and Constitutional Revision, Joseph André Gracien Jean, detailed concrete progress towards organizing elections. This announcement comes amid deep skepticism, where the electoral promise clashes with the reality of a territory largely controlled by armed gangs. The major “project” of elections launched despite persistent insecurity The government's position, outlined by Mr. Tilias, is based on a premise: not to wait for security to be fully restored before initiating the process. « The organization of elections is one of the biggest projects of this government, and one of the sine qua non conditions is SECURITY. However, we cannot wait for security to be established to implement the steps, to launch the machine, » he declared. This approach aims to create a ripple effect and demonstrate political will, but it immediately raises the question of the feasibility of a free and secure vote in conflict zones. Legal and Technical Tools Unveiled The core of the announcement lies in the adoption, by the Council of Ministers on Monday, December 1, of an electoral decree. This text, according to authorities, « will dictate the proper procedure » and must frame collaboration with the Provisional Electoral Council (CEP), guarantor of the process's independence. Mr. Gracien Jean insisted on the desired absence of « interference » between the government and the CEP, a crucial clarification for the credibility of the vote. The technical innovations presented are significant and address critical weaknesses of past elections:

1. Update of the electoral register: A revision considered essential for the transparency and legitimacy of the vote.
2. Decentralization of vote counting: The decree provides for the creation of a tabulation center per department, networked to a national center. This arrangement aims to accelerate the publication of results and avoid the long delays and opacities of the past, which were sources of crises.
3. Participation of the diaspora: For the first time, a clarified legal framework is mentioned to allow Haitians abroad to vote as « genuine electors », recognizing their role in national life.

When the Technical Plan Collides with Existential Challenges From a technical and procedural standpoint, the government's announcements are coherent and address well-identified structural problems. The desire to clarify everyone's role (government for the legal and logistical framework, CEP for operational execution) is a necessary foundation. However, the analysis must go beyond the administrative framework to confront the reality on the ground. Three major questions remain:

1. The security dilemma versus the electoral calendar: The government admits that security is a sine qua non condition, while simultaneously launching the process. Where is the point of no return? At what point will the lack of security definitively control the holding of the vote in key areas? Will the international community, which funds and supports the process, accept a partial or boycotted election by a large part of the population due to fear?
2. The credibility of the CEP and the acceptance of results: The CEP will have to operate in a hyper-polarized environment. Its ability to be perceived as independent, and the acceptance of results by all political actors – especially the losers – remain the decisive test of any Haitian electoral transition.
3. The gap between the capital and gang-ridden territories: Political formations and tabulation centers can be organized in secure areas.

But how can voters be registered, polling stations opened, and the free circulation of ballots ensured in communes under the control of gangs like « Viv Ansanm »? The decentralization of vote counting is a good idea, but it assumes that ballot boxes can physically leave these areas. Necessary Progress, but… Insufficient The government thus fulfills its part of the contract by producing the legal framework and initiating technical preparations. This constitutes necessary political progress, responding to internal and international demands for a « path to elections ». Yet, the Haitian electoral process is not played out solely in decrees and tabulation centers. It is played out in the streets of Cité Soleil, Martissant, Bel-Air, Solino, Fort-National, Mirebalais, Carrefour-Feuilles, Bas-Delmas, and so many others. The success of this « biggest project » will not depend solely on technical arrangements, but on the ability to guarantee a minimal political space, the physical security of voters and candidates, which is dramatically lacking today. The machine has been launched, but it risks colliding with the wall of armed violence, the true architect of the current impasse. Time will tell if this plan is a realistic roadmap or a pipe dream awaiting a security miracle that is slow to arrive.