San Juan.- The Secretary General of the Organization of American States (OAS), Albert Ramdin, stated this Friday that “no one with ties to criminal organizations should be allowed to participate in the (Haitian) elections,” calling for the current preparatory phase to be accelerated.
“The way to carry out that verification or control corresponds to the Haitian authorities,” who must determine who will be eligible to participate in the elections and who will not, Ramdin indicated in a virtual press conference with Caribbean media and those present in the region, including EFE.
In this regard, he clarified that he is not speaking about all Haitian politicians, but rather that there are “some” who have ties to criminal organizations, but this fact is a “cause for concern”.
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From the OAS, according to the secretary general, they have only indicated that they prefer the candidates participating in these elections to be “upright and fulfill everything expected of a good candidate.”
On Thursday, Ramdin, who visited Haiti last August, denounced that there is a “certain degree of collusion” between politicians and armed gangs in Haiti and warned that these ties could jeopardize the credibility of the upcoming elections.
Regarding the credibility of the elections, the OAS Secretary General highlighted that the current preparatory phase requires “more expeditious action” and that voter registration be carried out with “greater intensity”.
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“Many more media campaigns are needed to get them to register. Otherwise, doubts will arise – both from the Haitian political class and internationally – about the credibility of these elections,” he stressed.
Despite these statements, Ramdin acknowledged the complications of organizing elections after ten years and when large parts of Haiti are controlled by armed groups.
“The situation is extremely difficult,” lamented the OAS secretary general, who called to “support Haitians in Haiti, but also those who are leaving the country.”
Asked about the termination of Temporary Protected Status (TPS) by the United States Department of Homeland Security for 350,000 people from Haiti, Ramdin commented that a country cannot be forced to keep undocumented migrants in its territory.
However, he requested that in these returns the rights of the people be respected and that the country that is going to receive them be consulted so that the return is carried out in “a more organized manner”.
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The official calendar schedules the first round of presidential and legislative elections in Haiti for December 13, 2026, and the second round for February 21, 2027.
According to UN data, violence in Haiti has left at least 3,050 dead and 1,401 injured during the first six months of the year.
