Date set for constitutional referendum

PORT-AU-PRINCE (CMC):

The Provisional Electoral Council (CEP) has announced plans to stage the constitutional referendum, as well as the legislative elections for the Senate and deputy on Sunday, September 26.

Earlier this month, Haiti had announced the postponement of the constitutional referendum that was originally scheduled for June 27.

The referendum has been criticised by the opposition parties, and officials had blamed a significant increase in the number of COVID-19 cases.

The CEP had promised that a new calendar of referendum and electoral activities will be adopted and published by the council after the recommendations of the health authorities and the technical opinions of the executives of the electoral institution.

In its new calendar released on Monday, the constitutional referendum will be the first referendum in the country since 1987.

NECESSARY MOVE

The referendum had been unilaterally proposed by Jovenel Moïse, with the head of state indicating that the referendum was necessary as the government moves to reform the constitution.

The CEP, in its modified schedule of its activities over the coming months, said that political parties will have until July 6 to register for the legislative elections. It said that the electoral campaign for the first round should start on August 26.

The municipal and local elections will take place on January 16, 2022. According to the new calendar, the electoral process will end on February 5, 2022, the date of the publication of the final results of the municipal and local elections.

In addition, the CEP said that it is working to finalise the draft electoral decree to govern the next set of elections.

It said also that in order to deal with the pandemic, a guide to specific health measures, intended for the use of voters, will be developed and adopted in collaboration with the Ministry of Public Health.