Miami Herald
Former Haitian president Michel Martelly has returned home. Martelly, who lives in Miami, arrived in Port-au-Prince on Wednesday after traveling from the northern city of Cap-Haïtien aboard a Sunrise Airways flight. His rare visit comes as an investigative judge continues to re-examine the investigation into the assassination of President Jovenel Moïse, who was killed on July 7, 2021.
Martelly, who had selected Moïse as his successor to the presidency, is among several high-profile figures summoned to give testimony. He has not been charged in the case.
After his domestic flight landed at Guy Malary Airport at 10:45 a.m., Martelly, 65, waited in the airport’s diplomatic salon as supporters on motorcycles rode onto the airport grounds. He then climbed into one of four black SUVs, briefly stopping as they exited the airport. He then opened his door, and flashed a thumbs up and smile while declining to say how long he plans to stay. The motorcade made its way through the capital’s gang-controlled streets to Pétion-Ville, where a small contingent of specialized Haitian police officers guarded his home in the Peguville neighborhood.
In contrast to years past when the musician-turned-politician drew large crowds, he was welcomed by a modest group of supporters, who were joined by a Rara band playing as he stepped out of the vehicle and entered his home. Martelly’s return to Haiti coincidentally came on the same day that another former Haitian president, Jean-Bertrand Aristide, commemorated a birthday. Aristide turned 73 years on Wednesday.
Michel J. Martelly est arrivé chez lui, à Pétion-Ville🇭🇹. L’ancien président a été accueilli par des membres de la population ainsi que par des bands (rara) qui l’attendaient !
How long Martelly intends to remain in Haiti is unclear — his lawyers had asked for a postponement in his appearance when the judge issued the summons. Political observers believe his visit could extend beyond complying with the judicial summons. They believe the former leader, who served in office between 2011-16, could use the visit to assess the political climate and gauge support for his possible return to elected office despite a number of significant hurdles.
Amid Haiti’s ongoing political turmoil and the gang-fueled crisis that erupted after Moïse’s assassination, Martelly became one of several Haitian politicians sanctioned by both the United States, Canada and European Union over alleged drug trafficking, gang ties and corruption. Former Haitian president Michel Martelly returned to Port-au-Prince on Wednesday, July 15, 2026. Johnny Fils-Aimé For the Miami Herald Despite dominating Haitian politics for the last decade, Martelly’s Haitian Tèt Kale Party, PHTK, is not among the 316 political parties recently authorized to field candidates in the country’s upcoming general elections. Even so, Martelly continues to enjoy support among members of Haiti’s private sector and political class.
Last week Haiti’s Provisional Electoral Council issued a list of the political parties approved to participate in the vote and announced deadlines for party accreditation and voter registration. The country last held elections a decade ago and remains in a transition as armed gangs continue to tighten their grip on Port-au-Prince and the neighboring Artibonite region. Pierre Esperance, a Haiti human rights advocate, said as a Haitian citizen the former president has every right to return to Haiti, but the government doesn’t owe him anything. Under the law, he was only entitled to security and vehicles the first five years after stepping down from power. “If they give him security it’s at their discretion,” Esperance said, citing the various allegations against Martelly, including making false declarations about his assets to Haitian authorities. “Normally, the Haitian state should not give him security.”