Japan and OAS award Haiti $3M to help troubled country prepare for long-awaited elections

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PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti (AP) — Japan and the Organization of American States signed a deal Tuesday to award Haiti a $3 million grant to help it register voters as the troubled country prepares to hold general elections for the first time in more than a decade.

The money will help Haiti’s government update its voter lists and procure 350,000 blank identification cards, the OAS said in a statement.

Gang violence has displaced a record 1.5 million people across Haiti, with many leaving their IDs and other important documents behind when fleeing their homes under attack by armed men in Port-au-Prince and beyond.

The OAS said the grant also would help reduce the backlog of Haitians awaiting identification, expand services in rural communities and improve power and internet connections in decentralized offices.

Last month, Haiti’s government began voter registration in Port-au-Prince, where an estimated 70% of territory is controlled by gangs.

The first round of elections is scheduled for Dec. 13, although experts have said ongoing gang violence could push back the date once again.

Haiti hasn’t had a president since Jovenel Moïse was killed at his private residence in July 2021. Moïse became president following the November 2016 elections.