Haiti's provisional electoral authorities have set December 13 as the date for the country's first elections in a decade, although officials said the timetable depends on security conditions improving sufficiently to allow the vote to take place.

Under a decree issued on Monday by the Provisional Electoral Council, the first round of presidential, legislative and local elections would be held on December 13, alongside a referendum on proposed constitutional changes.

The council said the timetable remains conditional on "the establishment of an acceptable security environment" and the availability of the financial resources needed to organise the polls.

A second round, if required, is scheduled for February 21, 2027, with final results due to be published on March 7, according to the decree.

Political vacuum and gang control

Haiti has not held national elections since 2016. The country's last elected president, Jovenel Moïse, was assassinated in July 2021, leaving a prolonged political vacuum as armed gangs expanded their influence across much of the country.

The gangs now control large parts of Haiti, including much of the capital, Port-au-Prince, raising doubts over whether authorities will be able to provide adequate security for nationwide voting by the end of the year.

An international security mission led by Kenya, deployed to support Haiti's national police, has so far failed to stem the violence. The United Nations-authorised mission has since been restructured as the Gang Suppression Force (GSF) with an expanded mandate to confront armed groups more directly.

The Caribbean Community (CARICOM) welcomed the election timetable but said stronger international security support would be needed if the vote is to proceed as scheduled.

"The EPG urges the contributing countries to the Gang Suppression Force (GSF) to deploy their personnel as early as possible in order to bolster the capacity of the international security assistance to Haiti through the GSF well before the first round of the elections," CARICOM's Eminent Persons Group said in a statement.

The announcement offers Haiti its clearest roadmap yet to restore elected government, but the timetable remains more a political target than a guarantee, with security the biggest obstacle to the country's first national vote in a decade.