The president of Haiti (Haitian Creole: Prezidan peyi Ayiti, French: Président d'Haïti), officially called the president of the Republic of Haiti (French: Président de la République d'Haïti, Haitian Creole: Prezidan Repiblik Ayiti, pronounced [pɣezidã ɣepiblik ajiti]), is the head of state of Haiti. Executive power in Haiti is divided between the president and the government, which is headed by the prime minister of Haiti.[A133] The Transitional Presidential Council has been exercising the powers of the presidency since 25 April 2024. It has a mandate to act that concludes on 7 February 2026.[2][3][4]
A number of qualifications for the presidency are specified by Chapter III, Section A (Articles 134 and 135) of the 1987 Constitution of Haiti.
The president is elected to a five-year term by popular vote. The president may not be elected to consecutive terms; he may serve a second term only after an interval of five years, and may not run for a third term.[A134]
Elections are held on the last Sunday in November in the fifth year of a president's term. However, in actuality Election Day is not fixed, per the election held in 2015. If no candidate receives a majority of the vote, a runoff is held between the top two candidates. The runoff candidate with the highest number of votes becomes president.[A134]
Each presidential term is supposed to begin and end on the February 7 immediately following the last presidential election. However, this has not always been observed, as when Michel Martelly became president on May 11, 2011. [A134]
Other qualifications for the presidency are specified by Articles 136 to 147, part of Chapter III, Section B of the 1987 Constitution. The president has no powers except those accorded to him in the Constitution.[A150]