2015 Haitian presidential election

2015 Haitian presidential election

← 2010–11 25 October 2015 February 2016 →
Registered	5,871,450
Turnout	28.49%
Nominee Jovenel Moïse Jude Célestin Party Haitian Tèt Kale Party LAPEH Popular vote 508,761 392,782 Percentage 32.76% 25.29%
President before election Michel Martelly Repons Peyizan Elected President Election results annulled Jovenel Moïse elected in 2016

Politics of Haiti
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Legislature (not functioning) Haitian Parliament Chamber of Deputies Senate
Executive President of Haiti (list) Transitional Presidential Council Prime Minister of Haiti (list) Garry Conille (interim) Cabinet
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Recent elections General: 2006 2010–11 Next Presidential: 2015 2016 (Feb) 2016 (Nov) Parliamentary: 2015–16 Senate: 2016–17 Electoral body: CEP
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Presidential elections were held in Haiti on 25 October 2015, alongside local elections and the second round of the legislative elections.^[1] Incumbent President Michel Martelly was constitutionally barred from running. As no candidate received a majority of the vote in the first round, a runoff was to be held on 27 December 2015.^[2] On 22 December the Conseil Electoral Provisoire (CEP) announced that the runoff has been postponed indefinitely.^[3] However, on 1 January 2016 President Michel Martelly announced that the runoff would be held on 17 January,^[4] but on 7 January the President changed the date to 24 January. On 20 January, Jude Célestin issued a statement that calls "whatever the person who will participate in this January 24 [runoff], is a traitor to the Nation".^[5] Because of rioting and electoral violence, on 22 January the CEP decided to postpone the second round again, with no specific date given,^[6] even after President Michel Martelly confirmed the previous day in a nationwide speech that the election should still take place.^[7] The run-off date was later agreed to take place on 24 April 2016.^[8]

After the preliminary results were published on 25 October 2015, Jude Célestin said he did not recognize them. His criticism was joined by five other presidential candidates. They issued a joint statement denouncing the results as "anti-democratic" and called for the people's vote to be respected. Martelly openly declared his support for Moïse.^[9] The supporters of Célestin protested in the streets, together with the supporters of Jean-Charles Moïse's Platfom Pitit Desalin and supporters of former President Jean-Bertrand Aristide's Fanmi Lavalas party the presidential candidate of which, Maryse Narcisse, finished fourth behind Jean-Charles Moïse and also denounced the results during a news conference. The protesters threw rocks and burned tires. The police responded with tear gas and made some arrests. The police also stopped and searched the vehicle of a former top government prosecutor, Claudy Gassant, who is a supporter of Moïse.^[10]

Amid allegations of fraud in the 2015 elections, Martelly resigned the presidency on 10 February 2016, leaving Haiti without a president for a week. The National Assembly elected on 17 February 2016 Jocelerme Privert as provisional President.^[11][12] Privert formed a month-long verification commission to restore legitimacy to the electoral process. In May 2016, the commission audited about 13,000 ballots and determined that the elections had been dishonest and recommended a complete rerun of the election.^[13][14]

On 5 April 2016, the CEP announced that a rerun of the presidential election is to take place on 9 October 2016, alongside the second round of the parliamentary elections that has been suspended and the first round for a third of the Senate.^[15]