A Call for Political Reason and Constitutional Restoration
A cry of alarm in Dessalines' name On this highly symbolic date of the 219th anniversary of the assassination of Jean-Jacques Dessalines, founding father of the Haitian nation, former provisional president Jocelerme Privert publishes a situational note with strong political and moral implications.
By La Rédaction · Port-au-Prince
· 4 min read · Updated 24 April 2026
Translated from French — AI-assisted and reviewed by the editorial team. The French version is authoritative. Read the original · About our translation policy
A cry of alarm in Dessalines' name
On this highly symbolic date of the 219th anniversary of the assassination of Jean-Jacques Dessalines, founding father of the Haitian nation, former provisional president Jocelerme Privert publishes a situational note with strong political and moral implications.
The statesman, known for his institutional rigor and discretion, chooses the memory of the nation's founder to recall an often-obscured truth: Haiti has lost its way in an endless transition, far from the Dessalinian ideal of sovereignty, dignity, and social justice.
This document, both lucid and critical, serves as a patriotic call to order. Former president Privert invites his compatriots, particularly political actors, to « combine their efforts » to restore constitutional order to the country, which he describes as an « indispensable condition for peace and stability. » His deeply institutionalist message contrasts with the opportunistic stances and partisan discourses currently saturating the Haitian political scene.
He draws a severe but undeniable conclusion: since the fall of the Duvalier dictatorship in 1986, Haitian democracy has never managed to take lasting root.
The former president recalls that the country has been experiencing an uninterrupted political transition for six years, the longest in its contemporary history, marked by the assassination of Jovenel Moïse, the power vacuum, and the total erosion of elected institutions.
His diagnosis is straightforward: « Today, all public institutions are led by officials lacking democratic legitimacy. » In a few lines, Privert summarizes the institutional failure of a state operating outside its own Constitution, governed by de facto authorities, without a popular mandate. By denouncing the « transition within the transition, » he warns against the temptation of endless power, where each actor seeks to prolong the crisis to better exploit it. Security: Between Dependence and Sovereignty On the security issue, Privert adopts a measured but firm stance. He acknowledges the opportunity presented by the UN Security Council vote (Resolution 2793, September 30, 2025) authorizing the deployment of a new international force, while emphasizing the primary responsibility of Haitian leaders in restoring national security. For him, no credible election is possible without security, but no lasting security can be achieved without the reconstruction of national defense and police forces. This passage reflects a historical and recurring tension in Haitian politics: dependence on foreign interventions to resolve internal crises. Privert, as a pragmatic statesman, does not reject international aid, but he calls for a sovereign institutional refoundation, based on the professionalization and depoliticization of security forces. This is a warning against the complicity and collusion of local elites who instrumentalize violence for political ends. Legitimacy Through the Ballot Box: A National Imperative In a context where Parliament has been dysfunctional since January 2020 and local authorities are run by interim agents, Privert places the organization of free and inclusive elections at the heart of resolving the crisis. He designates the Transitional Presidential Council (CPT), in office since April 2024, as a non-constitutional body, illustrating the current institutional disorder. He calls for an end to this exceptional governance, which lacks consensus and, in his view, delays the restoration of popular legitimacy. This reminder carries even more weight given that Jocelerme Privert, himself a former transitional president (2016–2017), had scrupulously respected the 120-day mandate set by the Constitution, proving that a transition can be brief and orderly when based on legality. A Message to the Political Class and the International Community The former president holds both Haitian protagonists and international actors equally responsible: the former for their destructive quarrels and personal ambitions, the latter for their interference or complacency in the face of illegitimacy.
He urges them to make 2026 the year of return to constitutional legitimacy. This position is neither populist nor polemical: it reflects fidelity to the spirit of the 1987 Constitution and a desire to restore Haiti's institutional dignity. Implicitly, Privert reminds us that national sovereignty, dear to Dessalines, only has meaning if exercised within the framework of a rule of law. This note is not a mere commemorative declaration: it is a thoughtful political stance, at a time when the political class seems disoriented. The former president claims no role but outlines a path: the end of the transition, the reform of security institutions, and the holding of credible elections. Three conditions, according to him, to lead Haiti out of chaos. Through this text, Jocelerme Privert once again establishes himself as one of the most balanced and institutional voices on the Haitian scene. His call, imbued with lucidity and patriotism, resonates as an echo of Dessalines' oath: never to betray the dignity of the Haitian people.
His diagnosis is straightforward: « Today, all public institutions are led by officials lacking democratic legitimacy. » In a few lines, Privert summarizes the institutional failure of a state operating outside its own Constitution, governed by de facto authorities, without a popular mandate. By denouncing the « transition within the transition, » he warns against the temptation of endless power, where each actor seeks to prolong the crisis to better exploit it. Security: Between Dependence and Sovereignty On the security issue, Privert adopts a measured but firm stance. He acknowledges the opportunity presented by the UN Security Council vote (Resolution 2793, September 30, 2025) authorizing the deployment of a new international force, while emphasizing the primary responsibility of Haitian leaders in restoring national security. For him, no credible election is possible without security, but no lasting security can be achieved without the reconstruction of national defense and police forces. This passage reflects a historical and recurring tension in Haitian politics: dependence on foreign interventions to resolve internal crises. Privert, as a pragmatic statesman, does not reject international aid, but he calls for a sovereign institutional refoundation, based on the professionalization and depoliticization of security forces. This is a warning against the complicity and collusion of local elites who instrumentalize violence for political ends. Legitimacy Through the Ballot Box: A National Imperative In a context where Parliament has been dysfunctional since January 2020 and local authorities are run by interim agents, Privert places the organization of free and inclusive elections at the heart of resolving the crisis. He designates the Transitional Presidential Council (CPT), in office since April 2024, as a non-constitutional body, illustrating the current institutional disorder. He calls for an end to this exceptional governance, which lacks consensus and, in his view, delays the restoration of popular legitimacy. This reminder carries even more weight given that Jocelerme Privert, himself a former transitional president (2016–2017), had scrupulously respected the 120-day mandate set by the Constitution, proving that a transition can be brief and orderly when based on legality. A Message to the Political Class and the International Community The former president holds both Haitian protagonists and international actors equally responsible: the former for their destructive quarrels and personal ambitions, the latter for their interference or complacency in the face of illegitimacy.
He urges them to make 2026 the year of return to constitutional legitimacy. This position is neither populist nor polemical: it reflects fidelity to the spirit of the 1987 Constitution and a desire to restore Haiti's institutional dignity. Implicitly, Privert reminds us that national sovereignty, dear to Dessalines, only has meaning if exercised within the framework of a rule of law. This note is not a mere commemorative declaration: it is a thoughtful political stance, at a time when the political class seems disoriented. The former president claims no role but outlines a path: the end of the transition, the reform of security institutions, and the holding of credible elections. Three conditions, according to him, to lead Haiti out of chaos. Through this text, Jocelerme Privert once again establishes himself as one of the most balanced and institutional voices on the Haitian scene. His call, imbued with lucidity and patriotism, resonates as an echo of Dessalines' oath: never to betray the dignity of the Haitian people.
