PORT-AU-PRINCE — Haiti’s Provisional Electoral Council (CEP) entered the second week of voter registration Monday with operations continuing without major disruptions, including in parts of the West Department that were initially excluded because of security concerns.
The West Department, which includes Port-au-Prince and its large metropolitan area, joined the nationwide registration campaign on July 30, 10 days after the process began in Haiti’s other nine departments. Registration remains limited to 10 centers in Petion-Ville, Delmas and Tabarre, where authorities say election workers can operate despite the broader security concerns that keep much of the Port-au-Prince metropolitan area under gang control.
“This does not mean there will be only 10 registration centers in the West,” CEP President Jacques Desrosiers said during the process launch. “The council will continue opening registration centers across the country so that people can take the steps toward voting.”
Residents continued to register on Monday as the CEP urged eligible voters with valid National Identification Cards to enroll ahead of elections. Under a revised schedule, Haitians are expected to vote in the first round of presidential and legislative elections and a proposed constitutional referendum on Dec. 13, followed by a second round on Feb. 21, 2027, for local elections and possible presidential and legislative runoffs. Final results and installations are expected by March 12, 2027, which would end a decade without national elections.
The council said each registration center will also serve as a polling station, meaning voters will cast their ballots at the same location where they register.
Large portions of the department, especially the Port-au-Prince metropolitan area—including Carrefour, Martissant, Cité Soleil and Croix-des-Bouquets—remain inaccessible because armed gangs continue to control or heavily influence those areas. The CEP has not announced when registration will begin there.
Desrosiers said the council plans to expand registration as security conditions improve, relying on government assurances that electoral personnel will be able to work in additional communes once access is restored.
The voter registration campaign marks another milestone in Haiti’s long-delayed electoral process. Last week, after months of criticism from political parties and civil society groups demanding a clear timetable, the CEP officially published a revised electoral calendar.
Even as registration progresses, the CEP continues to emphasize that restoring security and securing sufficient funding remain essential to holding credible, inclusive elections nationwide.
