As Haiti prepares for its upcoming general elections, a landmark milestone for gender representation in national politics has emerged, after the country’s Provisional Electoral Council (CEP) released its official list of qualified political groups for the vote. Of the 15 coalitions and political organizations granted approval to contest the elections, five are headed by women – accounting for 33% of all registered participating groups.
On Monday, August 10, 2026, Pédrica Saint Jean, Haiti’s Minister for the Status of Women and Women’s Rights (MCFDF), publicly praised the CEP’s publication of the list, framing the gender breakdown as a tangible win for years of advocacy aimed at breaking down barriers to women’s political leadership.
Saint Jean linked this progress directly to commitments forged at the National Conference on Women’s Political Participation and Electoral Violence, held in December 2025. The MCFDF emphasized that the growing share of women leading officially registered political structures proves that targeted advocacy work is driving meaningful change toward more gender-equitable participation in Haiti’s democratic governance.
The five women-led approved groups bring together a total of 53 separate political parties across the Haitian political landscape. The full breakdown of these coalitions is as follows:
– *DEBLOKE*, headed by general coordinator Marie Yanick Mézile Lhérisson, comprises 11 member political parties
– *EN AVANT POUR HAITI*, represented by Vilcé Nancy, is made up of 12 parties
– *LAPEH AK ALYE’L YO*, led by Marie Nelly Verpile Boyer, includes 10 participating parties
– *ANFÒS POU SOVE LONÈ*, represented by former senator Gilles Cemephise, counts 10 parties among its members
– *DELIVRANS*, represented by Djina Guillet Délatour, is a coalition of 10 parties
The full list of all 15 approved political groups is available for public download via HaitiLibre at the link: https://haitilibre.com/docs/groupements-politiques-agrees-08-08-2026.pdf
In conjunction with welcoming the announcement, Minister Saint Jean issued an urgent nationwide appeal to Haitian women: she called on large numbers of women to complete their voter registration, stand as candidates for a wide range of elected public offices, and engage actively at every stage of the upcoming electoral process.
Saint Jean also reaffirmed her ministry’s ongoing commitment to supporting women entering the democratic process, offering full backing for women candidates and participants as they navigate the election cycle. She closed by expressing confidence that broad, determined citizen mobilization will pave the way for a far more inclusive and equitable political landscape in Haiti following the elections.