CEP notice sets final date for media outlets to complete credentialing ahead of December’s presidential and legislative elections
Haiti’s Provisional Electoral Council (Conseil Électoral Provisoire, CEP) announced in an official press note dated August 25, 2026 that the journalist accreditation process will close on Friday, August 28, 2026, inclusive. The notice, referenced CEP/DC/049-2526 and signed in Pétion-Ville, gives media outlets a final window to complete the credentialing formalities required to cover Haiti’s upcoming electoral process.
Background
The accreditation process for journalists and electoral observers formally opened August 11, 2026, according to the CEP’s own announcement at the time — later than originally planned under the published electoral calendar, which had allotted a 47-day window running from July 3 to August 18 for this step. The new August 28 deadline in this latest notice effectively extends that window further, giving media organizations additional time to complete their applications.
The CEP says the decision is intended to allow all interested media outlets to fulfill the accreditation requirements needed to participate fully in the electoral process. The council reiterated that criteria and submission conditions remain available on its official website, cephaiti.ht, via a dedicated accreditation page. Media houses seeking credentials must submit completed application files to the CEP’s designated email address for press accreditation.
Why It Matters
Accreditation determines which journalists and outlets will be formally authorized to observe and report on Haiti’s electoral operations — including the first round of presidential and legislative elections currently scheduled for December 13, 2026, alongside a popular ratification vote on proposed constitutional changes. A second round, paired with territorial-collectivity elections, is set for February 21, 2027. The CEP has said meeting those dates depends on both an acceptable security climate and adequate financial resources, in a country where armed groups control large portions of the capital and have continued to strike outlying communes, including the recent Kenscoff attack.
The council, in its Thursday notice, reaffirmed what it described as its commitment to conducting the electoral process in an inclusive and impartial manner, in strict respect of the principles of independence, transparency, integrity, and democratic accountability — language consistent with previous CEP communications on the accreditation process.
What Media Outlets Need to Know
- Deadline: Friday, August 28, 2026, inclusive
- Where to apply: cephaiti.ht/accreditation-journalistes
- Authentication contact: (509) 4420-6006
Outlets that have not yet submitted accreditation requests are advised to do so before the close of business Friday to ensure eligibility to cover the electoral process.
Source: Official CEP press note, Réf. CEP/DC/049-2526, Pétion-Ville, August 25, 2026.
