PORT AU PRINCE, Haiti (CMC) – President of the Provisional Electoral Council (CEP), Jacques Desrosiers, has reiterated that holding elections in the French-speaking Caribbean Community (Caricom) country remains an essential step in restoring the legitimacy of government.

“In a democratic society, elections remain the primary means of attaining legitimate power,” Desrosiers said during a meeting with members of the business community to discuss the upcoming elections.

The last presidential election took place in 2016 when Jovenel Moise was elected to office, but he was assassinated at his private residence overlooking the capital in July 2021.

Prime Minister Alix Didier Fils-Aimé said that the country is “moving forward” and that political parties, especially the major ones have signed an accord for stability and “to ensure that we are all going into the elections together”.

Since then, the CEP said it has registered 320 political parties and organisations for the election and is expected to publish the final list of qualified entities on March 26. It is hoped that elections will be held later this year.

Desrosiers outlined the essential prerequisites for organising elections, including establishing an acceptable security environment and ensuring the availability of the financial resources necessary to carry out the various electoral operations.

Representatives from the Association of Industries of Haiti (ADIH), the American Chamber of Commerce in Haiti (AMCHAM), the Franco-Haitian Chamber of Commerce and Industry (CFHCI), the Haitian-Canadian Chamber of Commerce and Industry (CCIHC), and the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of the West (CCIO) participated in the meeting.

Officials noted afterwards that the event allowed the electoral body to present several key elements of the electoral process to participants, including the new features introduced by the Electoral Decree of December 1, 2025, the implementation of the electoral calendar, and the procedures related to voter registration.

Meanwhile, the first contingent of the Gang Supression Force (FRG), scheduled to be deployed to Haiti on April 1st, will be composed of Chadian troops and is currently being trained in the United States (US).

“The deployment will begin on April 1st, and the full FRG deployment will reach 5,500 troops by October 2026,” Dominican Republic Foreign Affairs Minister, Roberto Álvarez, announced after a briefing on the FRG deployment with the US ambassadors to Haiti and the Dominican Republic.

The United Nations (UN) said earlier this week that a stable government will be essential for improving the daily life of the people of Haiti.

It said weak governance and the insecurity that leads to, has enabled armed gangs to expand territorial control, undermine the rule of law, and carry out atrocious human rights abuses, including more than 8,100 people being killed last year, kidnap for ransom, the recruitment of children and sexual violence with collective rapes of women and girls.

Gang violence has also led to the displacement of an estimated 1.5 million people, many of whom were already suffering from high levels of poverty – a situation which has been exacerbated by economic collapse.

The UN said 2026 comes with high expectations for the holding of long over-due elections.