As the political transition drags on in Haiti, the International Observatory for Democracy and Governance (OIDG) has urged Haitian Prime Minister Alix Didier Fils-Aimé to respond without delay, just days after the Provisional Electoral Council (CEP) submitted a revised electoral budget to the government.
On April 28, 2026, the Provisional Electoral Council (CEP) submitted a revised version of the electoral budget to the Haitian government. This submission follows the categorical refusal of Prime Minister Alix Didier Fils-Aimé to accept the initial budget of $250 million, which he had described as “unacceptable and absurd.”
The Prime Minister had clearly stated that he would not authorize the disbursement of such a sum for the organization of elections. The OIDG considers this position, in principle, to be legitimate. “It is legitimate for the government to request a budget revision if it deems the budget too high,” stated the President of the Observatory, Dr. Ambroise Guillaume, in a press release sent to CTN.
However, the Observatory does not hide its frustration with the method. It openly questions the role of the entities meant to act as intermediaries between the CEP and the Executive branch: why were these budgetary issues not anticipated earlier? The OIDG denounces this institutional back-and-forth as a waste of time that the Haitian people can no longer afford.
“This situation of back-and-forth between the two institutions constitutes a waste of time for a population that can no longer wait for a return to constitutional order, in a transition that is dragging on,” warns sociologist Guillaume.
The OIDG therefore urges the Fils-Aimé government to respond “as soon as possible” to follow up on the new budget proposal, as well as to publish the electoral decree necessary to finalize the electoral calendar.
A controversial electoral decree
Alongside the financial standoff, the CEP has submitted a revised version of the electoral decree to the Executive. This document introduces several major changes, both at the level of local authorities and regarding the conditions for political party participation.
One of the most notable reforms sets a new threshold for participation in elections. According to the CEP’s proposals, a political party must demonstrate a minimum of 30,000 members to be eligible to take part in the elections.
This measure is perceived as a real barrier by several political parties, who see it as a form of disguised exclusion. They believe that compiling a database of 30,000 members is a real challenge. They also denounce an intention to lock down the political game to benefit a handful of long-established parties.
Economic insecurity: Businesses threatened with closure in northern Port-au-Prince
Beyond the electoral crisis, the OIDG is alerting to another urgency: the deterioration of the security situation and its direct economic consequences.
The Observatory expresses concern over the fate of certain large companies located in the north of the capital. These companies, facing growing insecurity, risk having to close their doors. This is a catastrophic scenario in a context where unemployment is already dramatically high.
“This situation risks leading to closures and causing job losses for thousands of people,” warns OIDG President Ambroise Guillaume.
For the Observatory, the State’s inability to secure the strategic economic zones of the metropolitan area aggravates an already explosive social crisis. The closure of large companies would only add thousands more unemployed to a population that is at its breaking point.
Cap-Haïtien on edge: airport activity threatened
The OIDG also expresses its deep concern over the tensions observed in the city of Cap-Haïtien. In recent days, mobilizations have shaken several neighborhoods, particularly at the southern entrance to the country’s second-largest city. Barricades, protests, blockages: the social climate is visibly deteriorating.
If this situation is not quickly brought under control, warns the Observatory, it could disrupt or even paralyze activities at the Cap-Haïtien international airport. Such a scenario would further isolate the North of the country, cutting off an entire region from its links with abroad and the rest of the territory.
The OIDG does not hide its bitterness over the authorities’ attitude. “The government, already incapable or lacking the will to resolve the situation at the Toussaint Louverture airport, must take its responsibilities,” the Observatory insists.
Call for the reopening of the main airport
The OIDG reiterates its demand: the Haitian State must ensure the effective reopening of the Toussaint Louverture airport in Port-au-Prince by taking the necessary measures to face insecurity. Otherwise, the paralysis of the country’s main air hub could spread to Cap-Haïtien, plunging the entire country into logistical and economic asphyxiation.
The International Observatory for Democracy and Governance, which makes an uncompromising assessment, reminds us of an obvious fact that is too often forgotten: without security, there can be no credible elections. And without elections, the transition will be nothing but an empty word.
