Presidential Election, 20 November 2016

Hurricane Matthew, 4 October 2016  

Hurricane Matthew struck Haiti on 4 October 2016 with 230 km/h winds (BBC News 2016) and 60 cm of rain in total. The effects of the hurricane varied across the country. In rural regions such as the Tiburon peninsula in the South, large amounts of land were submerged and many communities destroyed (Johnston 2016). 546 people lost their lives to Hurricane Matthew and 1.4 million people were estimated to urgently need humanitarian aid. About 175,700 people had to seek refuge in shelters (World Bank 2017).   

The amounts of stagnant water that followed the hurricane led to a cholera outbreak throughout the country, with water shortages leading to further spread of the disease as people were forced to drink stormwater. Fears rose about a new cholera epidemic such as that of 2011, following the earthquake (Holpuch 2016). Risk of famine was prevalent; alongside transport difficulties due to the destruction of roads and power sources, as humanitarian efforts were hampered by theft of food aid supplies (BBC News 2016).   

Impact on the electoral process  

Haiti’s presidential elections in 2016 were planned to take place on 9 October 2016, only 5 days after Hurricane Matthew struck. The President of Hait and its election management body—the Provisional Electoral Council (CEP)— came under increasing pressure to reschedule polling (IFES 2016). An orderly electoral postponement was difficult to plan and organize alongside providing for humanitarian aid needs (Johnston 2016). The election eventually took place on 20 November 2016, which represented a delay of 43 days. 

Approximately 30 per cent of voters were deemed unable to access voting centres in the areas most impacted by the hurricane; 70 per cent of voting centres visited by OAS (Organization of American States) observers were deemed inoperable. Further, flooding meant a loss of voters’ identity cards, resulting in disenfranchisement of some 6,000 people from the most affected areas (Johnston 2016) (NLG/IADL 2017). 25 per cent of displaced households tracked by the International Organization for Migration did not have any form of documentation (IOM 2016).   

Some procedures were changed for this election. A report from the Electoral Observation Council (a coalition of domestic CSOs) shows polling stations within the areas most affected by the hurricane were moved at the last minute, some being placed in private homes or tents outside the original venue. The reasons for relocation included bad sanitary conditions, reconstruction activities and polling stations being used for shelter by victims of the hurricane. Polling stations were reduced in number overall from 13,713 in the previous election to 11,993 (COE 2016). However, voting generally took place at the designated stations, with approximately 250 schools made ready to be used (Caroit 2016).   

Voter turnout was among the lowest in Haiti’s history at between 20 and 23 per cent, according to the CEP – and even lower in the areas worst hit by the hurricane. Whether the result of general mistrust in politicians, the failure to issue new identity cards in time or the prolonged electoral process, the low turnout further undermined the mandate of President Jovenel Moïse, whose win was (for a second year) subject to legal challenge (Charlemagne 2016; Freedom House 2023).