CARICOM to oversee general elections in Haiti

The Caribbean Community (CARICOM) will be overseeing the general elections in Haiti, with a team from the regional organization assessing the ongoing political transition in the country.

Haiti’s provisional Prime Minister, Garry Conille, expressed his support for this initiative during a meeting with notable figures from CARICOM. However, Conille has recently joined other politicians in expressing doubts about the feasibility of holding general elections in Haiti in 2026.

His concerns are rooted in the slow response from the international community, particularly regarding the Mission to Support the Maintenance of Security in Haiti, which is being promoted by the United Nations.

“Aid is arriving too slowly, and people are growing impatient,” Conille emphasized. He pointed out that Haiti has only about 103 police officers for every 100,000 citizens, highlighting the urgent need for Haiti’s international partners and neighboring countries to fulfill their commitments.

The Haitian population has shown remarkable patience, but the transition team is fragile and heavily reliant on the expectation of incoming support, Conille noted, as reported by the digital newspaper Haiti Libre.

Kenyan police officers, the first to arrive as part of the international support, landed in Haiti on June 25. However, despite being there for over two months, the population is still waiting for significant results, particularly in areas like those controlled by the 400 Mawozo gang near the Dominican Republic border.

Without the promised security aid, Conille warned that it would be extremely challenging to hold the general elections in 2026.