The direct chlorination and bromination of (E)-enamines and (Z)-enamides to the corresponding (Z)-configurated α-chloroenamines, α-bromoenamines, and α-chloroenamides have been realized using NiCl2·6H2O or tetrabutyl ammonium bromide as a halide source and (1,1-diacetoxyiodo)benzene as an oxidant. The high stereoselective reactions which produce products with only (Z)-configurations can be attributed to the structure of the intermediates, the conformations of which are controlled by the electrostatic attractions between the positively charged nitrogen atoms and the oxygen atoms of the carbonyl group. This type of electrostatic effect has never been reported in olefin halogenations. For this reason, the three-membered bromonium ion is only a minor intermediate in the enamine bromination pathway. These methods open pathways to prepare α-chloroenamines and α-chloroenamides, which are not accessible via the currently used methods.