Wyclef Jean to throw hat in the political ring

Haitian American hip-hop artiste, Wyclef Jean, is likely to confirm within the next 35 hours, whether he will run for Haiti's presidency in November's elections.

Mr. Jean, was born on the outskirts of Port-au-Prince, but grew up in Brooklyn, New York, but there are questions about whether he can qualify to be in the race.

His qualifying to run for president will depend on whether the former Fu Gees star can satisfy the stringent conditions Haitian presidential candidates are expected to meet.

Mr. Jean will have to prove that he has resided in Haiti for five consecutive years, that he owns property in the country and that he has no other citizenship but Haitian.

Those are seen as tough conditions for a man who has spent most of his life in the United States.

But the singer’s brother Samuel Jean says unlike much of his family, Wyclef has never held a US passport and he expects his residency requirements will be waived because he has been a presidentially appointed Goodwill Ambassador since 2007.

Great asset to Haiti

Wyclef Jean says his political ambitions have been fully awakened by the massive January 12 earthquake that claimed more than 200,000 lives, left hundreds of thousands more homeless and destroyed much of the Haitian capital Port-au-Prince.

“I just feel that at this time, I can be more effective to Haiti moving within the direction that I’m moving, helping bring business to Haiti and I say with good government and great governance, I can be a great asset to help take Haiti into the 21^st century,” Mr. Jean said.

Voters, undecided on how to think about Haitians abroad, could prove a stumbling block for the highly successful musician who is about to throw his hat into the political ring.

If he does, he could face harsh criticism from political rivals over his charity Yéle Haiti.

It raised more than $9 million after the earthquake and has been widely criticised for alleged financial irregularities.

However, the singer will be able to counter on the campaign trail that Yéle Haiti hired a new accounting firm after the allegations surfaced.

(Source: The BBC Caribbean Service).