Haiti's government has announced new dates for general elections, with the first round scheduled for July 18 and the second on October 4, 2025. This comes as police and soldiers, bolstered by over 2,000 troops from El Salvador, continue to combat entrenched gang violence.
The Provisional Electoral Council stated that the final candidate list for presidential and senatorial races will be published by mid-January, with voter registration concluding on May 20. Haiti has not held elections in over a decade and is currently led by an unelected prime minister. The presidency has remained vacant since the assassination of President Jovenel Moïse in 2021.
Previous election rounds were postponed due to escalating gang violence, particularly in Haiti's central region and the capital, Port-au-Prince. The situation was further complicated when four aviation technicians from El Salvador, working with a U.N.-backed gang suppression force, went missing in the capital in October after coming under attack. In response, Salvadoran President Nayib Bukele deployed more than 2,000 troops to Haiti to aid in the rescue of the technicians, whom the Haitian government believes were abducted.
According to a statement from El Salvador’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, President Bukele discussed the security operation with Haitian Prime Minister Alix Didier Fils-Aimé. Both leaders are reportedly reinforcing cooperation within the framework of the U.N.-backed gang suppression force.
The precise role and operational details of the Salvadoran troops in Haiti remain unclear to some observers. Romain Le Cour, head of the Haiti Observatory at the Global Initiative Against Transnational Organized Crime, noted that the troops' rules of engagement, chain of command, objectives, and the duration of their deployment are opaque. He questioned their coordination with the U.N. force, Haitian police, and private security firms, as well as the United States' role in facilitating the deployment.
Le Cour also raised concerns that the number of Salvadoran troops could eventually exceed that of the U.N. force, potentially impacting the latter's authority and coherence. A fundamental question remains about why the Salvadoran technicians were in a gang-controlled neighborhood in the first place.
Concerns have also been voiced regarding the safety of Haitian civilians caught in the crossfire between gangs and international forces. Doctors Without Borders reported treating 30 patients for injuries from gunfire or explosions between October 18 and 26, highlighting the extreme risks and difficulties civilians face in accessing healthcare. The organization called for authorities and all parties involved to protect civilians and ensure unimpeded access to medical facilities.
According to U.N. figures, over 5,700 people have been killed or wounded in Haiti from January to mid-September. The Norwegian Refugee Council confirmed that two Haitian employees were among the recent fatalities. The council urged all parties to protect civilians, uphold international law, and prevent further violence, stating that the killing of civilians, including aid workers, cannot be tolerated.