Haiti sets 2027 election dates after long delay

Haiti will hold presidential and legislative elections in July and October 2027, authorities said, in what would be the country's first polls in more than a decade.

The Provisional Electoral Council said Wednesday evening that the first round will take place on July 18, 2027. A second round is scheduled for October 4, with final results to be announced on October 23.

Haiti had been due to hold presidential and legislative elections this December and next February, but postponed them several weeks ago. The country last held elections in 2016.

The vote is seen as an important step for a country mired in political chaos and gang violence. Haiti's last president was assassinated in 2021 and has not been replaced.

The International Organization for Migration says nearly 1.5 million of Haiti's roughly 11 million people have been internally displaced by violence. UN human rights chief Volker Turk said in early October that gang violence had left at least 5,700 people dead or wounded this year, while more than 1,000 women and girls had been raped.

A UN-backed Gang Suppression Force is being deployed to assist local police. The mission is intended to reach 5,500 personnel but currently has about 1,500.