Japan and OAS give Haiti US$3 million to support voter registration
The grant will help update voter lists and buy 350,000 blank identity cards ahead of a first election round set for 13 December.
PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti. Japan and the Organization of American States (OAS) have signed an agreement providing Haiti with a US$3 million grant to support voter registration ahead of the country’s first general elections in more than a decade.
According to the OAS, the money will help the Haitian government update voter lists and acquire 350,000 blank identification cards.
The grant will also help clear the backlog of people awaiting identification, expand services in rural areas and strengthen electricity and internet connectivity at decentralised offices.
The OAS said the support was intended to assist the Haitian government as preparations for the elections continue. The country has not held general elections in more than a decade.
Displaced without papers
Gang violence has forced a record 1.5 million Haitians from their homes, many fleeing without identification and other essential documents amid attacks by armed groups in Port-au-Prince and elsewhere.
Haiti’s government launched voter registration in Port-au-Prince last month, despite gangs reportedly controlling around 70 per cent of the capital’s territory.
Election timetable
The first round of elections is set for 13 December, but experts warn that continued gang violence could force another postponement.
Haiti has been without a president since Jovenel Moïse was assassinated in July 2021. Moïse had won the November 2016 elections.
