©️UEH
Port-au-Prince, July 30, 2025.- The State University of Haiti (UEH) and the Provisional Electoral Council (CEP) launched, on Friday, July 25, a university chair dedicated to electoral law and administration. This initiative aims to strengthen the capacities of electoral actors through specialized training, in a context of modernization of the referendum and electoral process. The government, for its part, is stepping up efforts to ensure the effective organisation of the forthcoming referendum, with concrete measures already implemented on the ground.
Launched officially at Hotel Ritz Kinam in Petion City, « The Chair of Law and Administration of Electoral Operations in Haiti » is the result of an unprecedented partnership between two constitutionally independent institutions: the UEH, represented by the Rector Dr Dieuseul Predelus, and the CEP, chaired by Mr Patrick Saint-Hilaire. This chair, housed at the Faculty of Law and Economic Sciences (FDSE), aims to professionalize the Haitian electoral system by offering graduate and certifying training; encouraging interdisciplinary research on the country's electoral issues.
In his speech, the Pre-deputy Rector stressed the urgency of providing the country with a credible and competent electoral administration: « Without adequate expertise, the system remains vulnerable to partisan manipulation », he said. He said that the UEH will provide academic and scientific support, but without directly participating in the electoral process, thus guaranteeing its impartiality. For his part, the President of the CEP, Patrick Saint-Hilaire, promised an active accompaniment of the Chair, stressing the need to make it a pillar of the sustainable democratization of Haiti.
This initiative is part of a broader government effort to hold the next constitutional referendum. Several structural measures have been adopted, including the holding of the Departmental Assemblies throughout the national territory and within the diaspora, notably under the supervision of the Steering Committee of the National Conference, in accordance with the presidential decree of 7 July 2024. In addition, the progressive and functional installation of referendum and electoral structures, including: BRD, BRC, BED, BEC is under way under the aegis of CEP, ensuring fair and effective national coverage.
Mr. Axène Joseph, the Prime Minister's Chief of Staff, reaffirmed the government's commitment to this Chair as a strategic lever for a consolidated democracy. He referred to the desire of Prime Minister Alix Didier Fils-Aimé to make this initiative a recognized centre of excellence, capable of training lawyers, election technicians and building a political culture based on ethics, competence and responsibility.
Finally, Jean Eugène Pierre-Louis, President of the Scientific Council of the Chair, recalled that this approach aims to get Haiti out of the cycle of contested elections and post-election crises. By training a new generation of qualified electoral actors and by building a culture of respect for results, the Chair is a fundamental tool for building electoral governance.
conforming to international democratic standards.
W.A.
