Council spokesman Richard Dumel announced that election officials accepted 19 candidacies and rejected 15 others, with Wyclef Jean on the rejected list. The rapper’s candidacy was turned down because he did not meet the residency requirement of having lived in Haiti for 5 years before the Nov. 28th election. Although Jean was born in Haiti, he left the Caribbean nation as a boy and has lived off and on in the country over the years. In 2007 he was named roving ambassador to Haiti by President René Préval, an appointment that Jean believed qualified him to run for president.
Jean’s eligibility for office came under question almost instantly after his announced decision to seek the presidency, with the biggest roadblock being that he has not fulfilled the constitutional requirement of residency. But Berto Dorce, Jean’s lawyer, disputes such claims saying his client meets the criteria, has been paying taxes in Haiti and should be eligible to run. “His candidacy has been contested and we went to court and proved that he is legally entitled to run for president,” Dorce said. “Jean’s position is pretty strong. He should be on the list.”
Many believed Jean’s status as a famous Hip-Hop artist would have made him a shoe in among Haiti’s youthful voting populace. But not everyone has been a fan of Jean’s “out of nowhere” candidacy and any potential elevation to the island nation’s highest political office. Haitian-American rapper Pras, who incidentally was once a band mate with Wyclef Jean and Lauryn Hill in the ’90s group The Fugees, recently went public with word that he supported Jean’s opponent. And actor Sean Penn, who has lived in Port-au-Prince for months following the earthquake helping displaced Haitians, also questioned Jean’s candidacy and whether the Haitian-born musician had the political knowledge to successfully lead the devastated nation. Jean has also recently received multiple death threats hoping to intimidate him out of the race. Said Jean: “We have been getting threats since last night telling me if I know what’s good for me, I would get out [of] the country.”
Now with Wyclef Jean officially left out of the race, those behind the threats may have just gotten their wish. Originally, Jean took it all in stride, saying a statement he disagreed with the council’s decision but accepted it and urged his supporters to do likewise. But yesterday Jean had a change of heart, saying “After careful consideration and much soul-searching, I have made the decision to contest Haiti’s board of elections’ pronouncement stating that I am ineligible to run for the presidency of the country. I will be seeking a solution through legal channels, and I urge my countrymen to be patient through this process.” Stay tuned.
First the guy said he was ok with the decision. Now he plans to fight it. Sounds to me like he's gonna pour all the money he can into getting his way on this one. But I'm still not sure if this is good or not for Haiti. They've had corrupt presidents since the beginning of time so he might be a positive addition. Or he could join the rest of them and end up just as corrupt. Glad I'm not a Haitian voter.