With just over two months remaining before Haiti’s scheduled first-round presidential and parliamentary elections and constitutional referendum, the country’s Council of Ministers has approved a new round of adjustments to the national electoral decree, the Provisional Electoral Council (CEP) has confirmed.
The upcoming electoral events, slated to take place on December 13, 2026, have already been framed by a June 2026 electoral decree that laid out the full framework for the vote. Following Monday, October 5’s Cabinet meeting to review further amendments, no official details about which articles of the original decree would be altered were immediately released to the public. However, the CEP stepped forward to clarify the most immediate change impacting electoral timelines.
In an official statement released shortly after the Council of Ministers’ vote, the CEP explained that the amendments came after extensive consultations with a broad range of political stakeholders across the country. In line with the newly approved changes to the June 2 electoral decree, the body has revised key deadlines for the electoral process.
Most notably, the window for online candidate registration and the submission of all required supporting documentation has been extended through October 31, 2026. The CEP noted that this extension was designed to give individual candidates and participating political organizations adequate time to complete all administrative formalities required under Haiti’s current electoral legal framework, eliminating unnecessary barriers to participation.
Beyond the candidate registration extension, the CEP confirmed that the official electoral campaign period, which had previously been set to start on a fixed date, has been postponed. The independent body added that new, final start and end dates for the campaign will be announced at a later time, once all adjustments to the overall electoral calendar are finalized.
The CEP is currently in the process of updating the full national electoral calendar, factoring in the new provisions of the amended electoral decree, as well as the technical and operational requirements that are necessary to ensure each stage of the electoral process runs smoothly and transparently. Officials confirmed the revised full calendar will be published publicly as soon as the drafting and review process is completed.
In addition to adjustments for candidates, the CEP reminded Haitian voters that general voter registration remains open across the country. The body issued a public appeal urging all eligible citizens to complete their registration as soon as possible, so they can exercise their constitutional right to vote in the December elections and referendum. The statement closed with a note of gratitude to all political parties and coalitions that participated in the consultations that led to the amendments, acknowledging their input to support the organization of a fair electoral process.