Prime Minister Fils-Aimé delights in anaphora. For months, he lulled us with “Security! Security! Security!” For some time now, we have been treated to “Elections! Elections! Elections!” We do not need any keys to decode this new refrain. The message is clear: sooner or later, the country is heading toward elections. That is what the masters of the political game have decided. To be convinced of this, one need only refer to the July 2, 2026, speech by the U.S. chargé d’affaires on the urgency of restoring democratic governance, or to the warning issued by the Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General, Carlos Ruiz Massieu, who urged Haitian leaders not to use the climate of insecurity as a pretext for delaying the implementation of the electoral process.

Some reject this hypothesis, which they regard as sacrilegious, because voters will undoubtedly shun the polls. Perhaps, but the following anecdote will demolish their argument. I ask the reader’s forgiveness for reproducing an excerpt from my testimony, The Year of Every Deception. The scene I describe took place in May 1990 during a luncheon held in honor of the U.S. ambassador at the time, Alvin Adams. “To a woman who expressed doubts to him about popular participation in the upcoming elections, the U.S. representative replied with his characteristic self-assurance: Madam, even if only 5% of voters cast ballots, we will consider these elections a success. In the year 2000, they will be 20%, and in 2005, 50%, as in all democracies.” Verbatim.