Security, Local Governance, and Elections: The Government's Bet for 2026

At a time when Haiti remains confronted with endemic insecurity and a prolonged institutional legitimacy crisis, the government led by Prime Minister Alix Didier Fils-Aimé is attempting to chart a clear political course: restore state authority, reactivate local governance, and create the minimal conditions for the organization of general elections in 2026. It is in this context that the Head of Government participated, this Thursday, December 18, 2025, in the first forum of the National Federation of Communal Administrative Councils (CASEC). A highly symbolic meeting, given how territorial communities have been marginalized in recent years, despite their central constitutional role in territorial administration. Security as an Absolute Prerequisite for the Electoral Process Addressing local elected officials, the Prime Minister laid down an unambiguous premise: no credible election is possible without an effective return to security. By declaring 2026 an electoral year and a year of free movement of people and goods, the government asserts its desire to break with the logic of elections organized under duress, fear, or territorial exclusion. This declaration, while intended to be firm, nevertheless raises a major challenge: how to regain control of vast areas of the country currently dominated by heavily armed groups, when the State still struggles to ensure the security of its own institutions? The political commitment is clear, but its effectiveness will depend on concrete results on the ground, within extremely tight deadlines. The Return of Local Elected Officials to the Country's Security Architecture One of the central tenets of the government's discourse lies in rehabilitating the role of local elected officials. By officially acknowledging the 23 months of salary arrears owed to ASEC and CASEC, the executive implicitly admits the State's past failure to honor its obligations towards these local actors. Beyond the financial issue, the government is banking on the establishment of Security Councils in all communal sections, a mechanism intended to improve the flow of information between populations, local authorities, and central security structures. This approach reflects a desire for functional decentralization in the fight against insecurity, breaking with an often ineffective exclusively vertical management. However, this strategy will only be credible if local elected officials are protected, trained, and genuinely involved in decisions, in a context where many of them are regularly threatened, displaced, or forced into silence. The Necessity of Neutralizing Armed Groups: Between Political Will and Structural Constraints In his capacity as president of the Superior Council of the National Police (CSPN), Alix Didier Fils-Aimé reaffirmed his government's determination to strengthen the operational capacities of law enforcement. A recurring promise in Haitian political discourse, but rarely followed by lasting effects. The neutralization of armed groups does not rely solely on police operations. It involves a profound reform of security governance, a real fight against political and economic complicities, as well as rigorous control of arms and funding flows. Without these structural levers, any security victory risks being temporary. National Symbolism and Political Communication The announcement of providing televisions and solar panels to each communal section for the 2026 World Cup is part of a strategy of symbolic mobilization around the Grenadiers. While the initiative may strengthen a sense of national unity, it nevertheless raises questions about budgetary priorities in a country where access to electricity, drinking water, and basic services remains largely deficient. This communicative dimension, though politically understandable, cannot substitute for the structural reforms expected by the population. A Political Course Under Close Scrutiny By placing security and local governance at the heart of its agenda, the government displays a coherent vision for holding sovereign elections in 2026. But between declarations of intent and their effective implementation, the gap remains considerable. The credibility of this trajectory will depend on a simple but implacable indicator: the State's actual capacity to regain control of the territory and restore citizens' trust. Without this, 2026 risks remaining just another political promise, in a country weary of unfulfilled deadlines. Jean Wesley Pierre/Le Relief