Overview:
A revised electoral decree reduces Haiti’s registration fees for five candidate categories, except for the presidential fee, which remains at 2 million gourdes—about $15,400—as initially set. The Oct. 6 decree also removes several financial and medical certificate requirements, but retains thresholds requiring political organizations to demonstrate 30,000 members or supporters and independent candidates to show support from 150,000 people. The changes follow months of criticism from political actors who said the rules could exclude young candidates and smaller organizations from the upcoming elections.
PORT-AU-PRINCE — In an Oct. 6 electoral decree—the second modification of a June 2 legal framework, itself a revision of a Dec. 1, 2025 decree—Haiti’s authorities have lowered registration fees for five categories of candidates and removed several documentation requirements after months of criticism from political parties and coalitions.
The revised rules set fees ranging from 5,000 gourdes, or about $39, for a candidate slate for the Assembly of the Communal Section (ASEC) to 2 million gourdes, or about $15,400, for a presidential candidate. The presidential fee remains unchanged, as set in the June 2 decree, while fees for Senate, Chamber of Deputies and local government candidates have been reduced by at least 50%.
The measures were adopted to help establish “an institutional framework conducive to credible, transparent and impartial elections,” the Haitian government said in a statement.
The changes follow decisions made at an Oct. 5 Council of Ministers meeting concerning the electoral decree and a resolution reaffirming the government’s commitment to neutrality in the electoral process.
The revised decree addresses some of the objections raised by political actors. But while the latest revisions ease some of the administrative burden on candidates, the decree still requires political organizations seeking to field candidates to demonstrate they have 30,000 members and supporters. Independent candidates must provide proof of support from 150,000 Haitians.
New candidate registration fees
The Oct. 6 decree sets registration fees for the six candidate categories in the upcoming elections. The Haitian Times used the official exchange rate of 130 gourdes to calculate the equivalence in U.S. dollars as follows:
- Presidency: 2 million gourdes, about $15, 400
- Senate: 400,000 gourdes, about $3,000
- House of Representatives: 100,000 gourdes, about $770
- Municipal council: 50,000 gourdes, about $385
- Communal Section Administrative Council (CASEC): 15,000 gourdes, about $115
- Assembly of the Communal Section (ASEC): 5,000 gourdes, about $38
The presidential fee remains the highest and the only one unchanged by the latest revision.
How the fees compare with the previous decree
The June 2 electoral decree, as amended on July 2, established higher fees for Senate, House and local government candidates. The amounts were:
- Presidency: 2 million gourdes, about $15,400
- Senate: 800,000 gourdes, about $6,154
- House of Representatives: 300,000 gourdes, about $2,308
- Municipal council: 100,000 gourdes, about $770
- CASEC: 25,000 gourdes, about $192
- ASEC: 25,000 gourdes, about $192
With the revision, the Oct. 6 decree cut the candidate registration fees for the Senate by 50%, the Chamber of Deputies by about 67%, the municipal council by 50%, the CASEC by 40% and the ASEC by 80%.
“The measures were adopted to help establish an institutional framework conducive to credible, transparent and impartial elections.”
Haitian government
Candidates must pay their registration fees through Haiti’s General Tax Directorate (DGI) before the DGI can consider their applications.
How the actual fees compare with those of the 2015-2016 elections
A March 2, 2015 electoral decree set registration fees for the 2015-2016 electoral process at lower dollar-equivalent amounts than most of those in the revised 2026 decree.
Using the exchange rate of 47.42 gourdes to the dollar reported by the Bank of the Republic of Haiti (BRH) back then, the fees were:
- Presidency: 500,000 gourdes, about $10,500
- Senate: 100,000 gourdes, about $2,109
- Chamber of Deputies: 50,000 gourdes, about $1,055
- Municipal council: 15,000 gourdes, or $316
- CASEC: 3,000 gourdes, about $63
- ASEC: 200 gourdes, about $4
Compared with those 2015-2016 dollar equivalents, the 2026 presidential, Senate and local government fees are higher. The registration fee for the Chamber of Deputies, however, is lower: $770 under the revised decree, compared with about $1,055 in 2015.
These figures compare the dollar equivalents at the exchange rates reported for each period; they do not, however, account for inflation.
Documentation requirements eased after criticism
The fee reductions follow months of criticism from political actors who argued that the electoral rules could prevent young candidates and smaller political organizations from participating. Critics focused on registration costs and the number of documents candidates had to submit.
Under the Oct. 6 decree, candidates no longer need to submit certificates from the BRH, the National Old-Age Insurance Office (ONA) and the Industrial Development Fund (FDI), or a medical certificate.
The changes therefore address concerns about the cost and paperwork of registering candidates but leave in place requirements that critics say could still limit participation— notably the party-affiliation rule or the independent candidate support threshold.
That requirement remains contentious following complaints about the verification process, which critics have described as a “fiasco.” Allegations included claims that one political party had stolen identification numbers belonging to another party’s members, that the Provisional Electoral Council’s system rejected identification numbers recognized by the National Identification Office, and that electoral fraud had occurred.
Another major change is that candidates will no longer need to show that their assets are free from foreign sanctions. But politicians under U.N. sanctions will remain barred from running in the long-delayed elections.
Well-known politicians sanctioned by the United States, Canada and the European Union include former President Michel Martelly and former Senate President Youri Latortue. They have not publicly announced plans to run.
Election timetable remains uncertain
The revised decree comes as Haiti’s electoral calendar remains unsettled. The Provisional Electoral Council (CEP) has announced a new calendar, extending some deadlines, but has not clarified whether it will postpone the first-round elections, initially scheduled for Dec. 13, 2026, until next year.
The electoral campaign, which was scheduled to begin Oct. 5, has also been postponed, with no new start date announced. The deadline for candidate registration has been extended to Oct. 31.
Haiti’s last elections were held in 2016, when assassinated President Jovenel Moïse was elected.
