The Transitional Presidential Council and the Conille government took steps in September 2024 toward establishing a new Provisional Electoral Council, a necessary prerequisite for organizing the elections that the transitional arrangement was designed to deliver. The creation of a credible electoral body — independent of political party control, staffed by electoral professionals, and equipped with the resources needed to manage a complex national election — was one of the most technically demanding institutional tasks of the transition.
The design of the electoral council reflected lessons from previous failed attempts to organize elections in Haiti. Advocates for electoral reform called for a council with genuine independence from the political parties represented on the Transitional Presidential Council, transparent appointment processes, and adequate resources and security to function effectively in Haiti’s environment.
The timeline for elections that the council would need to organize — with a first round in August 2026 under the calendar approved in December — was ambitious but technically feasible if security conditions improved sufficiently to allow voter registration and election logistics. Meeting that timeline required the electoral council to begin work immediately on voter registration infrastructure, polling station planning, candidate recruitment, and civic education.
International electoral assistance organizations, including the UN, the OAS, and bilateral providers, committed to supporting the new electoral council with technical assistance, training, and some funding. Their engagement was conditioned on the council’s demonstrated independence and professionalism, and on the maintenance of the security conditions needed for electoral operations to proceed.