Haiti's transition will end with elections, prime minister says

Haitian Prime Minister Alix Didier Fils-Aime said on Friday that “transition must come to an end, and it will come to an end through elections.”

He told the UN General Assembly that the process must help break the cycle of instability and restore hope to future generations.

Fils-Aime said the electoral process is already underway, with registration centers open and citizens registering to vote.

Political parties and candidates are also moving forward with procedures to participate in the elections, he said.

The first round of presidential and legislative elections is scheduled for Dec. 13, with a possible second round in February, according to the Provisional Electoral Council.

The elections would be Haiti's first general elections since 2016. Preparations have continued despite persistent insecurity and the presence of armed gangs in large parts of the country.

Fils-Aime highlighted government efforts to strengthen security forces as authorities seek to confront armed gangs.

“We are training more than 4,000 police officers, as well as 1,500 soldiers, and we will establish a program to train another 15,000 over three years,” he said, and thanked the Organization of American States and the European Union for their support in the fight against gangs.

Fils-Aime also invoked Haiti's history as the world's first Black republic, highlighting its struggle for independence.

“I bring you the voice of a people who have left their name etched in the pages of history by breaking free from the chains of slavery and giving birth, on a land conquered through sacrifice, blood, sweat and tears, to the first Black republic in the world,” he said.

The Transitional Presidential Council's mandate ended in February, leaving Fils-Aime and his Cabinet in charge of the interim period.

The government has made restoring security a key priority ahead of the vote, while international partners have called for stronger support for Haitian security forces and the deployment of the Gang Suppression Force.