A referendum to approve a new Constitution will take place in April while presidential, legislative, municipal, and local elections will be held in September and November.
That is what Provisional Electoral Committee (CEP) President Guylande Mesadieu announced on Jan. 7, 2021 as the electoral calendar was tweeted out.
The referendum on the Constitution is scheduled for Apr. 25, while the first round of presidential and legislative elections would be held on Sep. 19, with run-offs to follow on Nov. 21 along with municipal and local races.
“I want to reaffirm that all votes will be counted,” Mesadieu said. “We will be able to carry out our mission in an independent manner while maintaining credibility and transparency in a democratic dynamic.”
Legislative and regional elections were supposed to be held in 2018 but they were postponed due to the regime’s foot-dragging and protests demanding President Jovenel Moise’s resignation.
Constitutional reforms include the abolition of the Senate, the removal of a ban on dual nationality, and the acceptance of diaspora lawmakers.
Traditional and opposition parties have insisted on Moise’s replacement by a three-year transitional government while highlighting that his term in office ends on Feb. 7, 2021, and not in February 2022 as he proclaims.
The opposition also rejected Moïse’s appointment of CEP representatives, claiming they were chosen without a political agreement and are members of the ruling party.
Moise has been governing by presidential decree since Jan. 20, 2020, when the terms of all deputies and 20 senators expired.
Opposition politicians immediately rejected the CEP’s announcement of a Constitutional referendum and general elections this year.
Former Sen. Youri Latortue, head of the Haiti in Action party (AAA), described the proposed electoral process as “unserious” and “absurd,” while reiterating the calls on President Jovenel Moise to resign.
“The 50th legislature came to an end in January 2020,” he said. “The elections were due to take place in October 2020 and a new president must be inaugurated on Feb. 7, 2021.”
The Struggling People’s Organization (OPL) and the Democratic and Popular Sector (SDP) described the CEP’s attempts to establish new political reality as a “comedy” while announcing general strikes.
Opposition parties considered the referendum invalid because the 1987 Constitution prohibits its modification through popular consultation. They also call for a three-year transitional government to replace Moïse and later organize general elections.
