Click here to visit the new home of Blackvoices!

HOT ON HUFFPOST BLACKVOICES:

 

Categories

Contributors

Other BV Blogs

Wyclef Jean Reportedly Not on Haiti Presidential Candidate List‎

By Ruth Manuel-Logan on Aug 20th 2010 11:13AM
Filed under: News

Comments (5)

Wyclef Jean Reportedly Not On Haiti Presidential Candidate List‎



Wyclef Jean's aspirations of running for President of Haiti were reportedly killed softly on Thursday, when his name did not appear on the electoral council's list of eligible individuals.


After months of preparation, which included the filling out paperwork, resigning from his position as director of the organization he founded (Yéle) and having to go into hiding due to an influx of death threats from political fanatics, a source told Reuters that Jean's name was absent from the list of viable Haitian presidential candidates.

"He is not on the list as I speak," said an unidentified election council official who had seen the list that is set to be made public on Friday.

There were questions surrounding Jean's residency from the very beginning of the presidential-bidding process.

Haiti has a very strict rule, stating that all presidential candidates must be residents of the island for at least five consecutive years. Jean, who was born in Haiti but has lived in the United States for most of his life, was adamant about the fact that he is exempted from the country's stringent residency criteria.

Since Haiti's current president, René Garcia Préval, made Jean a roving ambassador-at-large back in 2007, the former Fugees front man claimed that he has played it close to his birthplace over the last few years except for a few inevitable absences. Still, many of his countrymen grumble at his residency claim.

The unidentified source also stated that Jean failed to meet several other legal requirements but refused to get in to specifics.

Préval cannot seek re-election because he has already served two terms.

Jean's bid for president of the island nation, which was ravished by a deadly earthquake earlier this year that left hundreds of thousands dead, appeared to infuse hope and new beginnings for the country's young people. On the flip side, there are those Haitian politicos who view Jean as a mere celebrity, an outsider and a threat.

Now the impoverished nation might have to gear up for political unrest. There are reports that some candidates may be preparing to stir up violent protests if their candidacies are rejected.

"I've even been told that they have already bought and distributed machetes. ... It's up to security officials to assume their responsibilities," the election council official told Reuters. "But we are doing our job, and we will continue to assume our responsibilities regardless of what people do or say."


Consequently, the United Nations and Haitian police have increased their man power particularly around the headquarters of the electoral council in the island's capital of Port-au-Prince.



Comments: (5)

Add a comment

Page 1 of 1

Add a Comment

Please keep your comments relevant to this blog entry. Email addresses are never displayed but they are required to confirm your comments. When you enter your name and email address, you'll be sent a link to confirm your comment, and a password. To leave another comment, just use that password."

Most Commented Articles

Daily Drama

The Best Clips From TV's Hottest Shows

More Daily Drama >>

Find a Message Board

Discover conversations on everyone from Barack to Beyonce. There are nearly 50 forums, so click on a category below and find the right one for you.