By KEILE CAMPBELL

Tribune Staff Reporter

kcampbell@tribunemedia.net

FORMER Prime Minister Perry Christie hopes efforts to end Haiti’s ongoing crisis will culminate in a successful election in 16 months.

“We are very hopeful that the timetable for elections by February 2026 will be met,” he said yesterday.

Mr Christie, a CARICOM Eminent Persons Group (EPG) member, has been involved in efforts to stabilise Haiti. The EPG has been tasked with mediating between Haitian stakeholders to support a Haitian-led solution to the ongoing instability.

Last month, Haiti’s government created a provisional electoral council. Although Haiti should hold an election every five years, it has not since 2016. Haiti’s transitional presidential council — a separate body — established the electoral council in a meeting. The presidential council’s mandate expires in February 2026, when elections must be held.

Mr Christie said the EPG has an upcoming meeting with the presidential council.

“CARICOM has appointed three former prime ministers, each of whom has considerable experience in governance,” Mr Christie said. “In my case, I worked with PJ Patterson during the Aristide government, when there was a crisis there.”

“We have a great deal of familiarity with Haiti, and as the closest country here in the region, aside from the Dominican Republic, we share a lot because we have thousands of Bahamian-Haitians or Haitian-Bahamians in our country.”

The EPG also includes former Prime Ministers Dr Kenny Anthony of Saint Lucia and Bruce Golding of Jamaica.