Wyclef Jean Is Not Eligible to Run for President of Haiti

As reported by major news outlets, Wyclef Jean Is Not Eligible to Run for President of Haiti. The Haiti Electoral Council has decided that the The hip hop star's candidacy is a no go. Despite his lack of political experience, he has been considered a potential front-runner in his earthquake-shattered homeland.  Read more HERE

As reported by The NY Times, No explanation was given. A council spokesman, Richardson Dumesle, simply read the list of 19 presidential aspirants deemed eligible and 15, including Mr. Jean, judged ineligible.

Throughout the day, the Haitian news media debated unconfirmed reports that Mr. Jean had already been disqualified from running, primarily because of a failure to meet the requirement of having been a resident of Haiti for five consecutive years before the election. Mr. Jean left Haiti as a child for the United States and now shuttles between the two countries. On Friday evening, hundreds of Mr. Jean’s passionate supporters had rallied outside the electoral council’s offices, chanting, “We want Clef, Clef is Haiti and Haiti is for Clef.”