Following the passage of Hurricane Matthew on Haiti, the Provisional Electoral Council (CEP) has announced that elections will not take place this Sunday 9 October and that by next Wednesday at the latest, after consultation with various actors, a new date will be announced.

"[...] in relation to what was planned to do, deployment on the territory of material, of the PNH, [...] this deployment has not been possible of course in relation to this new situation.

There are road infrastructure problems... but also there are now of priorities that the country is obliged to give to areas that are victim, including the Great South, the departments of Nippes, South, Grand'Anse and other less affected department [...]

This situation also creates for the CEP new considerations for example to the infrastructures, the voting centers [...] many are damaged [...]

There is also electoral staff [...] certainly their families are victims [...]

So these are new data in relation to the electoral situation which was almost okay for the holding of elections on 9 October. Roads are cut especially toward the south.

These are situations that ultimately prevents many activities we had to do to be in position to make the elections on October 9, coming challenge this date.

On this basis, when we make these observations, the CEP met this morning and decided that it postpones the date of 9 October provided for the elections.

[...] Accordingly from this observation we say that we have an assessment to make, on any problems that arise, and at the same time to concert, dialogue with the relevant authorities, the Executive, with the as national and international partners involved in the elections, so that we, from their feedback, we are able to have the necessary data to allow that by Wednesday of next week at the latest we announced a new date for elections [...]"

HL/ HaitiLibre