Haiti's Provisional Electoral Council (CEP) postponed voter and candidate registration on April 8, 2026—originally set to begin April 1—citing a new government decree requiring alignment with a national political pact, with no rescheduled dates announced, fueling trader consensus at 61.5% for further delays in the August 30 first-round presidential and legislative elections. Persistent gang violence controlling swaths of Port-au-Prince, despite the April 1 arrival of initial UN-backed multinational security troops, continues to undermine logistical preparations amid a decade without national votes since 2016. The transitional government's fragile stability post-February mandate expiration adds uncertainty, though CEP's prior approval of 282 parties signals some progress; traders weigh security improvements against historical postponements as key tipping factors ahead of the summer vote.