Jovenel Moise
The head of Haiti’s National Police told The Associated Press on Friday that authorities are still working on a plan to safely hold general elections this year as promised by the government despite persistent gang violence.
André Jonas Vladimir Paraison, who became the department’s interim head in August 2025, said he could not provide more details but would release more information soon.
“We ourselves play our part, putting ourselves at the forefront where situations become heated, to see if we can contain what we can cover up or what we must clean up, and allow Haiti to return to normal conditions,” Paraison said.
Haiti’s government has said it plans to hold general elections in late August and a runoff in early December.
On Friday, the Provisional Electoral Council announced that it plans to open inscriptions for political parties and their candidates starting March 2 until March 12.
It’s been more than a decade since Haiti last held a general election, and gang violence has only worsened since President Jovenel Moise was killed in July 2021 at his private residence.
Paraison noted that Haiti’s situation has “exploded,” but that police officers are working to re-establish security so Haitians can resume their lives.
Gang violence has displaced a record 1.4 million people, with armed men controlling an estimated 90% of Port-au-Prince, the capital, and seizing swaths of territory in the country’s central region.
The violence also has forced thousands of businesses and hundreds of schools to close.
More than 5,900 people were reported killed last year and more than 2,700 injured in the country of nearly 12 million inhabitants, according to U.N. statistics.
Paraison said he hopes to boost the number of officers to better protect Haitians.
He recently oversaw the gradation of nearly 900 cadets but said more is needed.
U.N. officials have said that Haiti in recent years had less than two officers per 1,000 inhabitants, well below the international standard.
Despite a depleted force, Paraison has overseen recent strikes in the heart of gang-controlled territories, retaking areas including Carrefour-Aéroport, a key intersection.
Police statements about the number of suspected gang members killed during those attacks also have become more commonplace.
Paraison noted that gangs are heavily armed and have a surplus of guns and ammunition.
“Don’t forget, Haiti doesn’t make weapons. The weapons here come from somewhere else,” he said.
Experts have said they estimate that there could be as many as half a million small arms in Haiti, while a 2023 U.N. report noted that increasingly sophisticated weapons including .50 caliber sniper rifles and even belt-fed machine guns are smuggled into Haiti mainly from the U.S., especially Florida.
Haiti’s National Police is working alongside a U.N.-backed mission led by Kenyan police that has remained underfunded and understaffed as it continues to fight gangs.
A so-called gang suppression force is expected to replace the mission in upcoming months.
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