Stalled Transition: The CPT Put to the Test

Established in a context of institutional vacuum and national emergency, the Presidential Transitional Council, or CPT, was supposed to prepare for the return to constitutional order and political stability. More than 17 months after its installation, its record is deemed disappointing by a large part of the Haitian population and the international community. A CEP Formed but Lacking Legitimacy The formation of a Provisional Electoral Council (CEP) was among the priorities of the presidential transitional team, whose mission is to restore political and security stability in the country with a view to organizing general elections and transferring power on February 7, 2026, to a democratically elected president. While a CEP did come into being, it never managed to establish itself as a credible body. Neither the security conditions nor the lack of consensus among political actors allowed for the consideration of organizing elections. The CEP thus remained a structure without real impact. Constitutional Reform Shelved The Council had also mandated a committee, chaired by academic and former Prime Minister Enex Jean-Charles, tasked with drafting a new constitution. The committee ultimately submitted a finished work to the authorities. But this text was never popularized or debated among the population. Kept in official archives, it illustrates the persistent difficulty in engaging in a true national dialogue about the refoundation of the Haitian state. Ineffective Diplomacy Haiti was represented in 2024 and 2025 at the United Nations General Assembly. The speech delivered in 2024 by the then-Coordinator of the Presidential Council, Edgar Leblanc Fils, aimed to be hopeful, but it did not lead to any concrete progress. The 2025 speech given by the current Coordinator, Laurent Saint-Cyr (as a mere official), at the 80th Assembly was almost hollow. The expected international support, both in terms of security and economy, did not materialize. However, the United Nations Security Council just adopted this Tuesday, September 30, a resolution transforming the Multinational Support Mission for the Haitian National Police into a strengthened force to combat armed gangs, aimed at restoring public order and security in Haiti. A Transition Bogged Down The nine-member Presidential Transitional Council, which, according to a recent report by the National Human Rights Network (RNDDH), has cost the Haitian state ninety-three million gourdes per month, has so far failed to meet expectations. Neither elections, constitutional reform, nor the restoration of political and security stability have been achieved. Ultimately, combating insecurity and organizing general elections, which have been the two main objectives of the transition since Ariel Henry, have remained wishful thinking. In the eyes of many observers, this experience appears as a new episode of stagnation in Haiti's recent history. Pierre Josué Agénor Cadet