Haitian political actors sign pact for stability and elections, approve Fils-Aimé’s leadership
The agreement, granting Prime Minister Alix Didier Fils-Aimé the green light to lead Haiti’s transition without a president and a deadline, faces criticism as kidnappings and police casualties rise
by Juhakenson Blaise Feb. 24, 2026
Overview:
Haitian political parties and civil society groups signed the “National Pact for Stability and the Organization of Elections,” backing Prime Minister Alix Didier Fils-Aimé as head of a single-headed executive power. Supporters call it a step toward elections, while critics warn it lacks a clear end date and risks entrenching power. The signing coincided with a deadly kidnapping attempt in Delmas that left two suspects and one police officer dead.
PORT-AU-PRINCE — Several Haitian political leaders, representing major parties and civil society groups, confirmed Monday that they have signed an agreement recognizing Prime Minister Alix Didier Fils-Aimé as the sole executive head of the country’s transition.
The signing of the “National Pact for Stability and the Organization of Elections,” which occurred following closed-door negotiations on Feb. 21–22 at Hotel Ritz Kinam in Pétion-Ville, marks a new phase in the never-ending transition after the end of the Transitional Presidential Council’s mandate on Feb. 7. Although the government has yet to publish the final text, dozens of signatories have confirmed their support.
Among them are parties deeply involved in the crisis, such as former President Jean-Bertrand Aristide’s Fanmi Lavalas, the Parti Haïtien Tèt Kale (PHK) of former President Michel Martelly, Engaged for Development (EDE) led by former Prime Minister Claude Joseph, the December 21 Accord linked to former Prime Minister Ariel Henry and the platform Democratic Resistance (RED) of Renald Lubérice, a former advisor to the late President Jovenel Moïse.
“After discussions with Prime Minister Alix Didier Fils-Aimé, our group signed the Pact for Stability and the Organization of Elections on Sunday at the Prime Minister’s Office,” said lawyer and political leader André Michel of the December 21 Agreement. “This is an act of responsibility to bring the political transition to an end.”
Former Prime Minister Jean‑Henry Céant wrote on X: “We signed because we are Renmen Ayiti [Love Haiti], apostles of dialogue,” referencing his party’s name. “I confirm that, in keeping with its convictions, Renmen Ayiti has joined the various sectors that have expressed their commitment by signing the National Pact for Stability and the Organization of Elections.”
A transition without a clear deadline
According to draft provisions shared with participants, the pact empowers the Council of Ministers to govern from Feb. 7, 2026, until elections are held and newly elected officials are installed. It tasks the government with restoring security, organizing elections with the current Provisional Electoral Council and advancing constitutional reform, including a referendum to be held alongside the first round of voting.
The agreement does not set a firm end date for the transition.
It also outlines cooperation between national security forces and the Gang Suppression Force (GSF) under U.N. Security Council Resolution 2793 (2025), and calls for the reactivation of the National Commission for Disarmament, Dismantling and Reintegration.
Government officials who intend to run in the upcoming elections must resign within one month of signing, according to the pact.
Supporters describe the agreement as a pragmatic step toward restoring constitutional order after years of overlapping accords, rival power centers and stalled elections. Since the assassination of President Jovenel Moïse on July 7, 2021, Haiti has cycled through competing transition frameworks, deepening mistrust among political actors and the public.
Critics warn of democratic backsliding as violence underscores urgency
Opposition groups argue the pact risks concentrating power in the prime minister’s office without sufficient checks.
The Pitit Dessalines party, led by former Sen. Moïse Jean-Charles, called the agreement a “blatant fraud that legalizes illegality” and criticized the absence of a defined term for the prime minister.
“Like Pétion [19th-century President Alexandre Pétion], a certain oligarchy is seeking to impose a shadow government,” said Jean-Charles in a statement on Sunday, Feb. 22.
“We warn against any attempt to legitimize this political farce, which is nothing more than an admission of democracy’s failure. This stillborn agreement cannot be endorsed by the international community without bringing shame upon it. Silence will no longer be an option, but complicity.”
Other critics say the open-ended timeline reflects a broader pattern in Haitian politics: power-sharing deals negotiated among elites while insecurity, corruption and impunity persist.
Meanwhile, clashes reportedly broke out during the signing ceremony, underscoring the divisions that continue to shape the country’s political landscape.
Hours after the signing, violence again highlighted the fragile security environment.
Early Monday, officers from the Haitian National Police (PNH) thwarted a kidnapping attempt between Delmas 31 and 33. Two suspected kidnappers were killed during a shootout, and two police officers later died from his injuries. Three residents were also wounded during the ordeal.
Authorities said the suspects wore uniforms resembling police attire and used a Nissan Patrol SUV later found riddled with bullets.
The incident followed another attempted kidnapping in Delmas 30 days earlier, also ending in fatalities.
Kidnappings, gang control of neighborhoods and attacks on police have intensified in recent months, even as authorities pledge to dismantle armed groups. More than 80% of Port-au-Prince remains under gang influence, and displacement continues to rise, according to humanitarian agencies.
The juxtaposition of political negotiations and deadly violence reflects Haiti’s broader crisis: a state struggling to reassert authority amid fragmented leadership, entrenched corruption allegations and armed groups that operate with near impunity.
Whether the new pact will break that cycle — or become another short-lived agreement in Haiti’s protracted transition — remains uncertain.
What we know about Haiti and the Epstein files so far
From “parking money” talks to a potential “down low” visit with Martelly, using the jet for earthquake aid to a Sean Penn benefit, emails show how Haiti orbited Jeffrey Epstein’s world
by The Haitian Times Feb. 27, 2026
Overview:
Court-released emails tied to Jeffrey Epstein reference Haiti more than 400 times. The Haitian Times has reviewed about 100 documents so far, revealing details about humanitarian aid flights, celebrity-studded philanthropic gestures, financial discussions and political monitoring between 2010 and 2016. This story is part of an ongoing reporting series.
Editor’s note: This story is part of an ongoing Haitian Times series examining how Haiti appears in the Epstein files. Haiti is mentioned more than 400 times across the released Epstein files. As we continue examining the records, we will publish additional reporting, context and analysis relevant to Haiti and the Haitian Diaspora.
NEW YORK —In court-released documents tied to Jeffrey Epstein’s sexual abuse of minors, Haiti appears in more than 400 records. So far, The Haitian Times has reviewed about 100 of those documents.
No Haitian officials or institutions currently face accusations of wrongdoing based on records released by the Department of Justice (DOJ) in January. However, the documents reviewed so far show how Haiti figured into the philanthropic networks, financial interests and political maneuvering that surrounded Epstein between 2010 and 2016.
The DOJ released more than 3 million pages of documents, along with thousands of videos and images — a trove that will take months to fully review.
So far, here is what we know about Epstein and Haiti.
Epstein debated sharing jet for aid flights after 2010 earthquake
In the days following Haiti’s devastating earthquake on Jan. 12, 2010, Epstein’s chief pilot, Larry Visoski, received a request to use Epstein’s Gulfstream jet to deliver medical supplies, doctors and nurses to Haiti.
Epstein initially responded, “tell him we had a mechanical issue” according to the correspondence. Organizers emphasized that Epstein would receive media coverage and publicity for participating.
In a separate exchange about the flights, he wrote, “I will do it, if we can protect the interior.” His team ultimately coordinated with organizers to secure landing slots and load the aircraft.
In March 2010, Epstein was also forwarded an email from the charity CAREasking whether he or his contacts could provide a flight for former President Bill Clinton to travel to Haiti to meet with former President George W. Bush.
The emails do not indicate whether that flight took place.
Epstein saw Haiti as a potential place to ‘park money’
In 2011, Epstein was invited to meet Haiti’s president at the time, Michel Martelly. A July 2011 email shows Epstein discussing going to Port-au-Prince for a possible one-day visit — a “PERSONAL (no grants, no BMGF)” trip.
In that exchange, Epstein also described the country as unstable, writing that amid global banking uncertainty, Haiti “just might be a safe place to park money.”
Epstein saw Martelly as ‘hilarious, a realist’ while planning ‘down low’ trip
In the same 2011 exchange about a visit, Epstein described Martelly as hilarious and “a realist.”
“Steve and I (if we do it) will do this very quietly,” Epstein wrote in the email. He encouraged the recipient of the email, whose name is redacted, to “join us, on the down low.”
The emails do not say whether the visit occurred or any financial actions followed. If the trip did occur “quietly,” however, it is not clear in which records such information would be captured.
Epstein bought $5,000 ticket to Sean Penn’s Haiti benefit in Cannes
In May 2012, publicist Peggy Siegal asked Epstein to purchase a $5,000 ticket for her to attend Sean Penn’s “Haiti: Carnival in Cannes” benefit. The fundraising dinner and party was set for the evening of May 18, 2012, at the Agora Pavilion in the French Riviera city.
Siegal wrote that if Epstein bought her the tax-deductible ticket, she could report on the event for The Huffington Post. She promised to write “whatever you want,” according to the emails.
Epstein agreed. His accountants and assistants coordinated a $5,000 wire transfer through an entity called Enhanced Education, a charity reportedly built to boost his image. Noting that $350 of the ticket price was non-deductible, the accounting correspondence detailed that the ticket included food, beverages and entertainment.
Epstein foundation linked to building country’s “biggest school”
In 2012, Epstein received links to articles in The Wall Street Journal and The Telegraph about his largesse with Haitian groups. The articles described plans to build what was reported as the largest school in Haiti, with support from the Jeffrey Epstein VI Foundation, in partnership with the Edeyo Foundation. The Wall Street Journal article also mentioned a party promoter active in the Haitian Diaspora. The Haitian Times is withholding the individual’s name while seeking comment.
A school supplier later reached out offering to furnish the new school. That message was forwarded to Cecile de Jongh, the First Lady of the U.S. Virgin Islands at the time, according to the emails.
The documents reviewed so far do not detail the final status of the school project.
Epstein invited to Haiti-focused fundraisers post-earthquake
Epstein was on the mailing list for designer Donna Karan’s Urban Zen Foundation, which launched a “Hope Help & Rebuild Haiti” initiative after the 2010 earthquake.
Emails show he received invitations to “Haiti in the Hamptons” events and fundraising appeals, including requests for emergency relief support following Hurricane Matthew in 2016.
The correspondence reflects how Haiti remained central to high-profile philanthropic networks years after the earthquake.
Epstein updated on Haiti’s political and economic climate
In October 2012, Epstein received a “Regional Insights” report from the International Peace Institute discussing then-Prime Minister Laurent Lamothedeclaring Haiti “open for business.”
The report noted that Haiti remained vulnerable to political instability and faced an ongoing need to strengthen rule-of-law institutions.
The emails do not show direct policy involvement but indicate that Epstein tracked geopolitical developments in Haiti alongside philanthropic and financial conversations.