Presidential elections were held in Haiti on 20 November 2016, after having been postponed several times. The elections were overseen by the Provisional Electoral Council (CEP),Joseph Guyler Delva
Tensions mount as Haiti waits on re-run election results
Reuters, 21 November 2016 and were held using the

two-round system The two-round system (TRS), also known as runoff voting, second ballot, or ballotage, is a voting method used to elect a single candidate, where voters cast a single vote for their preferred candidate. It generally ensures a majoritarian resu ...

, with a second round scheduled for 29 January 2017 if no candidate received an

absolute majority A supermajority, supra-majority, qualified majority, or special majority is a requirement for a proposal to gain a specified level of support which is greater than the threshold of more than one-half used for a simple majority. Supermajority r ...

of the votes in the first round (50% plus one vote). However, on 27 November election officials announced that, according to preliminary results,

Jovenel Moïse Jovenel Moïse (; ; 26 June 1968 – 7 July 2021) was a Haitian entrepreneur and politician, who served as the 43rd President of Haiti from 2017 until his assassination in 2021. He was sworn in as president in February 2017 after winning the ...

had won the election in the first round with more than 50% of the vote. Voter turnout, in the election held 6 weeks after

Hurricane Matthew Hurricane Matthew was an extremely powerful Atlantic hurricane which caused catastrophic damage and a humanitarian crisis in Haiti, as well as widespread devastation in the southeastern United States. The deadliest Atlantic hurricane since ...

hit Haiti, was reported to be 21%. Jovenel Moïse assumed office on 7 February 2017, and was assassinated on 7 July 2021.

Background

Following massive protests arising from the 2015 election, the runoff election originally scheduled to be held on 27 December 2015 was postponed several times, with the last one scheduled to be held in October 2016. However, the

Conseil Electoral Provisoire The Provisional Electoral Council ( French: ''Conseil Électoral Provisoire'', , CEP; Haitian Creole: ''Konsèy Elektoral Pwovizwa'') was the electoral commission of Haiti. The body had the sole agency responsible for presidential elections an ...

(CEP) announced on 5 April 2016 that fresh elections would be held on 9 October with a possible runoff on 8 January 2017. The first round planned for 9 October was subsequently postponed due to the passage of

Electoral system

The President of Haiti is elected using the

, with a second round held if no candidate wins a majority of the vote in the first round.

Candidates

A total of 27 candidates ran for president, but only six actively campaigned and were seen as serious contenders: Edmonde Supplice Beauzile ( Fusion Social Democrats), Jean-Henry Céant ( Renmen Ayiti, "Love Haiti"), Jude Célestin (LAPEH/Peace),

Jean-Charles Moïse Jean-Charles Moïse (born 20 April 1967) is a Haitian politician. He is the Secretary General of the Pitit Desalin political party, and was a candidate for President of Haiti in 2015, and again in 2016, when the presidential elections were re ...

( Pitit Dessalines),

(

Parti Haïtien Tèt Kale Parti may refer to: *Parti (surname), a Hungarian surname, and a list of people with the name * ''Parti'' (architecture), the organizing concepts behind an architect's design * *, a lake in Russia See also *Partie (disambiguation) *Party (disambi ...

), and

Maryse Narcisse Maryse Narcisse (born 1958) is a Haitian politician. She was a candidate in the 2016–17 presidential election, representing the Fanmi Lavalas party. Biography Maryse Narcisse was born in Pétion-Ville. She is the daughter of Denise Péan Na ...

(

Fanmi Lavalas Fanmi Lavalas ( en, Lavalas Family, Lavalas is Haitian Creole for ''flood''), is a social-democratic political party in Haiti. Its leader is former Haitian President Jean-Bertrand Aristide. It has been a powerful force in Haitian politics since 1 ...

).Jacqueline Charles
Of Haiti’s 27 presidential contenders, six have the best shot at the seat
''Miami Herald'' (November 18, 2016). Each of the six, except for Beauzile, "have had strong ties to one or more of the former elected presidents:

Michel Martelly Michel Joseph Martelly (; born 12 February 1961) is a Haitian musician and politician who was the President of Haiti from May 2011 until February 2016. He was sanctioned by the Canadian Government for his involvement in human rights violations ...

René Préval René Garcia Préval (; 17 January 1943 – 3 March 2017) was a Haitian politician and agronomist who served twice as President of Haiti; once from early 1996 to early 2001, and again from mid 2006 to mid 2011. He was also Prime Minister from ...

and Jean-Bertrand Aristide."

Opinion polls

Results

Supporters of

claimed early reports indicated a close race between her and

. While counting was still ongoing, both Moïse's

Haitian Tèt Kale Party The Haitian Tèt Kale Party (french: Parti Haïtien Tèt Kale, ht, Pati Ayisyen Tèt Kale, PHTK) is a Haitian political party. ''Tèt Kale'' means "Bald Headed" in Haitian Creole. History The party was formally constituted on 16 August 2012. Alt ...

(PHTK) party and Narcisse's

party claimed victory, although official results were not yet issued and the CEP's cautioned against making such claims.Rival parties claim victory in Haiti’s presidential election

France24 France 24 ( in French) is a French state-owned international news television network based in Paris. Its channels broadcast in French, English, Arabic, and Spanish and are aimed at the overseas market. Based in the Paris suburb of Issy-les-Mou ...

, 22 November 2016 Jovenel Moïse won more than double the votes of any other candidate and more than half of all votes, avoiding the need for a second round.

Reactions

The United States, Haiti's largest international donor, welcomed the holding of elections. U.S. Department of States spokesman John Kirby said following the first round that the U.S. viewed the elections "as an important step toward returning Haiti to fill constitutional rule and addressing the serious challenges the country faces," but noted that the election had some "isolated incidents of violence and intimidation."Toward a Return to Constitutional Rule in Haiti
(press statement),

United States Department of State The United States Department of State (DOS), or State Department, is an United States federal executive departments, executive department of the Federal government of the United States, U.S. federal government responsible for the country's fore ...

, Bureau of Public Affairs (November 21, 2016).

References

{{Haitian elections Haiti 2016 in Haiti November 2016 events in North America Presidential elections in Haiti