Interim President Jocelerme Privert 15 March named govt of newly- appointed PM Fritz Alphonse Jean by presidential order. Move followed late-Feb protests by former PM Evans Paul and his govt and opposition leaders over Fritz appointment, arguing Privert did not respect appropriate procedure under 5 Feb agreement and saying Fritz does not embody national consensus. UNSC 17 March called on stakeholders to implement 5 Feb agreement without delay to resume country’s electoral process. Parliament 20 March rejected program submitted by PM Fritz, preventing formation of his cabinet. Facing deadlock, Privert 22 March selected former presidential adviser Enex Jean-Charles as new PM; senate 25 March ratified Jean-Charles’ general policy statement, govt installed 28 March.

Both houses of parliament, under auspices of Organization of American States (OAS), 5 Feb signed agreement to avert further escalation of political crisis following late-Jan indefinite postponement of presidential elections. Agreement stipulates parliament elect interim president for four-month term; presidential and legislative runoff be held 24 April; and winner of presidential race to be installed on 14 May for five-year term. President Martelly stepped down 7 Feb, parliament 14 Feb elected senate head Jocelerme Privert interim president. Privert 16 Feb opened public consultations to appoint new PM and form consensus govt; 19 Feb announced six candidates running to lead next administration.

Provisional Electoral Council (CEP) 22 Jan announced second postponement of presidential runoff election, originally planned 24 Jan, amid growing concern over escalating violence and continued disagreement over validity of Aug/Oct legislative and presidential elections, and series of violent protests by opposition supporters demanding postponement. International community, including UNSG Ban, EU observer missions and Organization of American States (OAS) 23 Jan expressed concern over worsening instability; urged govt and opposition to reach agreement to overcome electoral impasse. Opposition candidate Jude Célestin reiterated refusal to engage in dialogue unless Aug and Oct elections – both marred by violence and allegations of fraud – are declared invalid. Govt-backed candidate Jovenel Moise continued to campaign, called for results to be respected. President Martelly 27 Jan announced replacement of all CEP members. OAS 27 Jan authorised special mission to assist with resolution of stalemate; opposition supporters protested OAS involvement, claimed it may help Martelly remain in power beyond constitutionally mandated 7 Feb departure date. Parliament returned 11 Jan after year-long absence, marking official end to Martelly’s one-man rule.

Provisional Electoral Commission (CEP) 21 Dec pushed back second round of presidential elections, originally scheduled for 27 Dec; said it was awaiting results of electoral process audit. President Martelly 1 Jan said presidential run-off scheduled for 17 Jan. Postponement followed PM Evans Paul’s 17 Dec call for creation of independent electoral commission to “guarantee credibility of process” amid uncertainty over allegations of massive fraud during Oct first round of presidential and legislative elections; opposition rejected initial proposal stating it fails to resolve post-electoral impasse. Senate 16 Dec asked outgoing President Martelly  to  suspend  publication  of  final  election  results  until  independent commission can be mounted to audit vote; CEP 19 Dec published final results of 9 Aug legislative elections, triggering violence and vandalism in some five states, one protester reportedly killed. Alliance of eight former presidential candidates 15 Dec sent letter to CEP reiterating demands to resolve political crisis.

Provisional Electoral Commission (CEP) 5 Nov announced results of first round of 25 Oct presidential elections, indicating likely run-off between govt-backed candidate Jovenel Moise of ruling Parti Haitien Tet Kale (PHTK) and Jude Célestine of opposition League for Progress and Haitian Emancipation (LAPEH). Célestine 9 Nov rejected preliminary results following allegations of ballot stuffing and corruption by various observers. CEP member Jaccéus Joseph 12 Nov stated refusal to sign preliminary results, citing doubts over their credibility. Opposition parties, several NGOs and student associations called for anti-corruption protests 11 Nov. Protests put down with violence 19 Nov leaving one dead, opposition presidential candidates Senator Steven Benoit and former Senator Moise Jean-Charles accused police of targeting them with rubber bullets and tear gas; presidential candidate Jean-Henry Ceant same day accused police of intimidation and harassment. CEP 17 Nov rebuffed suggestion by PM Evans Paul for independent verification of vote count; 18 Nov dismissed formal complaints on results launched by former presidential candidates. CEP 26 Nov announced campaigning and elections will go ahead, despite mounting violence.

First round of presidential and second round of parliamentary elections held 25 Oct; some 15,000 police and MINUSTAH troops deployed for security. Opposition leaders René Civil and André Michel 22 Oct called for election boycott and annulment of 9 Aug parliamentary elections. Despite some reported incidents of violence and observers’ mounting concerns over instability prior to vote, election officials noted polls relatively peaceful, appealed for patience as votes are counted; final results expected mid-Nov. Head of OAS observer mission Celso Amorim expressed optimism concerning relatively high voter turnout of 30% and peaceful conditions. Coalition of civil society organisations 27 Oct reported systematic fraud and irregularities at polling stations. UN forces reported some 224 people arrested on charges of violence and suspicion of voter fraud, including one candidate of lower Chamber of Deputies and two Haitian National Police officers; no election-related fatalities reported. Fewer reports of voter centres vandalised and security issues than in 9 Aug parliamentary polls.

Presidential campaign opened 9 Sept ahead of 25 Oct elections, amid opposition protests calling for cancellation of 9 Aug legislative elections and resignations of President Martelly and Provisional Electoral Council (CEP) President Pierre-Louis Opont. Protests followed 8 Sept withdrawal of leading opposition party Vérité from 25 Oct runoff legislative elections, citing election-related violence in Aug polls and CEP disqualifying its presidential candidate on questionable grounds. Some Vérité parliamentary candidates who qualified for runoff elections said they would still run. Most international and some domestic observers deemed first round of polls “acceptable” despite limited violence; all applauded decision to rerun first round in 25 districts where violence occurred. CEP 27 Sept announced two first round winners in senatorial elections, former Senator Youri Latortue and Jean Renel Senatus, prompting fears announcement could exacerbate political tensions and unhappiness with CEP. Patriotic Unity (INITE) opposition party 8 Sept announced withdrawal from Martelly govt ending Jan political agreement to form broad coalition govt. Migration crisis with Dominican Republic continued, with several hundred Haitians and Dominicans of Haitian descent reportedly deported.

Parliamentary elections held 9 Aug, OAS election observers next day noted violent incidents and other disruptions but endorsed legitimacy of vote; voter turnout estimated at 18%. Provisional Electoral Council (CEP) 20 Aug announced runoff to be held 25 Oct in 25 constituencies where less than 70% of tally sheets arrived at voter tabulation centre; listed series of corrective measures to prevent violence in run-off polls including extending campaign period. CEP mid-Aug banned some sixteen candidates for election-related violence or disturbances. Dominican Republic 15 Aug resumed deportations to Haiti of Dominicans of Haitian descent following temporary suspension to allow migrants to obtain proper documentation; tens of thousands of Haitians and Haitian-Dominicans have reportedly fled since 17 June residency application deadline, settling in makeshift camps in Haiti.

Provisional Electoral Council (CEP) 9 July officially opened campaign for 25 Oct presidential elections and possible 27 Dec runoff. CEP president attended donor conference in New York mid-July seeking to fill $26mn funding gap for polls. Slow pace of recruitment for poll workers and scepticism over police capacity to tackle electoral violence continued to fuel mistrust among population, doubts among international partners. Organisation of American States 9 July sent special mission to Dominican Republic and Haiti to gather information on situation of Haitian migrants amid deportation crisis.

Electoral Council (CEP) 12 June released final list of parliamentary and presidential candidates: 56 candidates running for president, over 1,700 candidates for legislative elections; high level politicians including former PM Laurent Lamothe and former FM Pierre Duly Brutus excluded from list. Organization of American States to send electoral observation mission. Insecurity reportedly increased in anticipation of elections, with violent unrest reported in several neighbourhoods of Port-au-Prince 4, 5 June. Continued fears of massive deportations from Dominican Republic as country’s program to legalise Haitian immigrants ended 17 June; Dominican interior minister stated half of 500,000 Haitians living illegally in Dominican Republic had started residency application process, only some 10,000 met requirements. PM Evans Paul 26 June warned Dominican Republic is creating humanitarian crisis, noting some 14,000 Haitians crossed back into Haiti in less than a week.