Presidential race: Ouest I electoral bureau rules Jean Ernest Muscadin's file inadmissible

The Ouest I Departmental Electoral Bureau (BED) on Thursday, October 29, declared inadmissible the presidential candidacy file of Jean Ernest Muscadin, the government commissioner (chief prosecutor) of Miragoâne, according to RL News Haïti, which cites electoral authorities. According to the outlet, two documents were missing: his letter of resignation from the post of government commissioner and his final tax return for the 2025-2026 fiscal year. Vant Bèf Info reported the same information.

Tito.ht, citing a source within Fòs Chanjman Nasyonal (FCN), Mr. Muscadin's party, reported that the Provisional Electoral Council (CEP) did not finalize the filing because the required resignation letter was missing, and said this is not necessarily a formal rejection. Neither the candidate, the FCN nor the BED had commented publicly on the decision at the time of writing.

A resignation required by the electoral decree

The electoral decree requires public prosecutors who wish to run to provide a notarized copy of their resignation letter, with the acknowledgment of receipt from the institution concerned, Le National reported. The outlets do not cite the same article: RL News Haïti invokes Article 155, Tito.ht Article 153 of the revised electoral decree of October 6, 2026. As early as September 30, The Haitian Times noted that Mr. Muscadin had not resigned within the required period, which could jeopardize his candidacy.

Having arrived in Port-au-Prince that morning through the Guy Malary terminal, Mr. Muscadin went to the Ouest I BED in Pétion-Ville, accompanied among others by Prophet Mackenson Dorilas, the FCN's Senate candidate, according to RL News Haïti. Speaking to Scoop FM, he said: "I am in the city, I am not afraid" (translated from French). Supporters wearing T-shirts bearing his image were seen on the road to Pétion-Ville, according to the same outlet.

His name had appeared since September 30 on the CEP's registration platform as the FCN candidate. The CEP says this data is preliminary and that the final list will be published only after files are verified, Vant Bèf Info noted. The Council has set the first round of the presidential and legislative elections for July 18, 2027, and the second round for October 4, 2027, according to Juno7.

Jean Ernest Muscadin is known for his armed operations against gangs in Nippes, which have earned him the support of part of the population and the diaspora. Reports by the United Nations Integrated Office in Haiti (BINUH) attribute dozens of summary executions to him since 2022. Asked on television, he had said that President Jovenel Moïse told him bandits must die or leave the area, as NAGO reported on October 17.