Haiti's electoral council moves the first round of elections to July 18, 2027

Haiti's Provisional Electoral Council (CEP) has set Sunday, July 18, 2027, for the first round of the presidential and legislative elections, according to a revised electoral calendar circulated on Wednesday, October 28. The second round, held together with local elections, is scheduled for October 4, 2027.

The new timetable replaces the one published on July 27, 2026, which set the first round for December 13, 2026, and the second for February 21, 2027. The seven-month delay follows another revision of the electoral decree and consultations the CEP held with parties, political groups and civil society.

A 94-day campaign

According to the document signed by the electoral councillors, the first-round campaign will last 94 days, from April 15 to July 17, 2027. Voting day will also serve for the popular ratification of the proposed constitutional changes: those results will be posted on July 20, and the amendments published in Le Moniteur on July 21.

Preliminary presidential and legislative results are expected on July 22. A 17-day challenge period follows, until August 8, before the communal, departmental and national electoral dispute offices. Final first-round results will be published on August 9.

The second-round campaign will run from September 3 to October 2. After the October 4 vote, preliminary results are due on October 6 and 7, final presidential and legislative results on October 20, and final local results on October 23, 2027.

The calendar also covers voting by Haitians living abroad: agreements with host countries are to be concluded between December 1 and December 30, 2026. Poll workers will be recruited from December 1, 2026, to January 14, 2027, and trained from February 1 to July 10, 2027.

Registration extended

The CEP has also extended candidate registration by two weeks, the Miami Herald reports. Presidential and legislative candidates now have until November 15, instead of October 31, and candidates for local office until November 30. The final list of qualifying candidates is due on December 4. Voter registration continues until May 19, 2027.

According to the Florida daily, 887,362 Haitians had registered to vote as of Wednesday, out of a potential electorate of 6.5 million holders of the national identification card.

Whether the dates hold still depends on security. Armed gangs have been attacking in the Lower Artibonite since October 19, and registering often means crossing roads and neighbourhoods they control. When it published the first calendar in July, the CEP had already made its dates conditional on an acceptable security climate and on the necessary financial resources.