Haiti’s top electoral official said on Wednesday that the country will be unable to hold general elections before the interim government’s mandate expires next February. The worsening grip of heavily armed gangs across the country has made it impossible to organize a secure, nationwide vote.

The Caribbean’s most populous nation has not held elections since 2016. Its last president, who repeatedly delayed elections, was assassinated in 2021. Armed gangs have since taken control of much of the capital and surrounding areas.

“We cannot hold elections before February,” electoral council president Jacques Desrosiers said. “It is impossible.”

The council in June conducted an evaluation of hundreds of voting centers around the country, though many communes were inaccessible due to the inse

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