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Port-au-Prince, 28 July 2025.- Former provisional president Jocelerme Privert calls for elections to be held before 7 February 2026 without a constitutional amendment or referendum. He warned against the risk of chaos in the event of delay and called for a pragmatic approach, favouring the presidential election as the starting point for the electoral process.
Invited to Panel Magik 9 on Monday 28 July, former provisional president Jocelerme Privert expressed serious concerns about the institutional future of the country, as the deadline of 7 February 2026 approaches without clear electoral guarantees. According to him, there is still time to avoid the political vacuum, but the hour is serious: « I told former Prime Minister Ariel Henry that if he did not organize elections between 12 and 18 months, the alternative would be chaos and anarchy. And now we're there. »
Underscoring the urgent need to organize elections on time, Privert believes that despite logistical and security challenges, the process remains possible provided there is real political will. He recalled that, during the last three transitions, an average of seven months had been required to organize elections, a time limit still possible.
However, he strongly opposed the idea of making elections conditional on a constitutional amendment or referendum. « There is no urgency for a constitutional amendment, elections can take place without a referendum », he decided. In his view, such a debate should be left to future elected officials, who would have the legitimacy to carry out constitutional reform.
The former President also warns against the dangers of a constitutional bill imposed: « This project, if imposed on the population, will be a source of political instability or even a return to the old demon of dictatorship. » He claims that past experience shows that unilateral constitutional initiatives have often aggravated political crises.
As regards the electoral calendar, Privert considers that « timely » and « Acceptable » the idea of starting with the presidential election. « Nothing prevents the presidential election from ending before 7 February 2026 and that, at the same time, the legislatures are under way to complete after the installation of the president »he proposed, stressing once again the importance of political will.
W.A.
