Former Haitian President Michel Martelly has submitted documents to register as a candidate for Haiti’s upcoming general elections, joining a crowded presidential field ahead of the December 13 vote.

Martelly had already completed an online registration before appearing at the offices of Haiti’s Provisional Electoral Council on Friday. He arrived with three lawyers and was followed by hundreds of supporters.

He is contesting the election under the Debloke coalition, which includes former members of PHTK, the political party he previously led. The electoral council has extended the deadline for presidential candidate registration to October 31.

Sixteen presidential candidates had registered at the time of the report. The source did not state whether Martelly’s candidacy had been formally approved after he submitted his documents.

Return to electoral politics

Martelly served as Haiti’s president from 2011 to 2016. Before entering politics, he was a popular musician known as “Sweet Micky.”

His registration comes after Haiti’s electoral council dropped, on October 9, a rule that targeted candidates sanctioned by foreign governments. The United States and Canada have sanctioned Martelly, accusing him of facilitating drug trafficking and sponsoring multiple gangs. Those allegations were made by the two countries.

The elections are expected to be Haiti’s first general elections in more than 10 years. However, continued violence has raised questions about whether voting can take place across the country.

Security concerns

A report submitted to the United Nations Security Council warned of increased violence ahead of the elections and described ties between gangs and political and economic actors in Haiti.

Gang violence has displaced more than 1.4 million people, according to the information available. Armed men control an estimated 70 percent of Port-au-Prince as well as the main roads leading to Haiti’s Central and Artibonite provinces.

Those areas are particularly important to the election because more than half of Haiti’s electorate lives in Port-au-Prince, Central and Artibonite, according to the report.

The security situation has also affected an international effort to confront armed groups. Four Salvadoran officers serving with the Gang Suppression force were abducted in the most recent gang attack. El Salvador’s President Nayib Bukele sent special forces to conduct a military operation to rescue the four aviation technicians. The outcome of that operation was not stated.

The Gang Suppression force operates in Haiti alongside the national police to fight gangs. Observers have questioned whether elections can proceed while violence continues, and whether all eligible voters in affected areas will be able to register or cast ballots.