Wyclef Jean’s Haiti presidential candidacy rejected

Haiti hip-hop star Wyclef Jean greets the crowd before officially registering as a presidential candidate at an office in the Delmas neighborhood of Port-au-Prince in this file picture taken August 5, 2010.

Haiti’s provisional electoral council ruled today that hip-hop star Wyclef Jean was not eligible to run as a presidential candidate for a November 28 election.

Singer-songwriter Jean, 40, an international celebrity who is popular in his impoverished and earthquake-ravaged homeland, was left off the list of approved candidates published by the council.

A council member told Reuters yesterday that Jean did not meet several of the legal requirements to stand in the November election to choose a successor to President Rene Preval, who cannot run again after two terms.

He was among 34 candidates considered by the electoral authority, which had postponed announcing the final list of approved candidates from Tuesday.

Wyclef Jean says threats won’t deter candidacy

Hip-hop star Wyclef Jean said yesterday he had received death threats but they would not deter him from running for president of his native Haiti.

“There are people who think I’m a threat to their power and ambitions. I’m not going to give up. My will is to serve the Haitian people, and the death threats and intimidation won’t deter me,” Jean told Reuters.

Haiti’s provisional electoral council had been due to finalise on Tuesday the list of candidates who met the legal requirements to stand in the November 28 election that will choose a successor to President Rene Preval.

The announcement was delayed until tomorrow to allow more time to decide on legal questions about several of the 34 contenders, among them Jean.