[Archive 2010-07-28] Wyclef Jean considering standing for president of Haiti

Historical archive — originally published 2010-07-28. This report records what was known on that date. It is not current news; subsequent events may have changed the situation. Wikinews closed in May 2026.

Following months of rumours, musician Wyclef Jean today confirmed that he is considering standing for the presidency of Haiti in the country's November elections. A statement from his family and verified by his spokeswoman said that the 37-year-old had not yet announced his intention to run, but that media would be informed "if and when a decision is made".

Jean, whose full name is Nel Ust Wycliffe Jean, is seen as popular among young Haitians. With current President René Préval unable to stand for re-election, so far no one has emerged as a clear successor.

Despite growing up in the United States and becoming an award-winning rapper there, Jean was born near Port-au-Prince. He has already been appointed as a roving ambassador for his birth country and is the founder of the Yéle Haiti Foundation. He was at the forefront of fund-raising efforts following the devastating earthquake that struck Haiti in January, but his charity faced allegations of financial irregularities.

Rumours that he would stand for president had been circulating for months, but, until today's statement, had been flatly denied.

Michael Shifter of think tank Inter-American Dialogue said that the race was "wide open" but that Jean would be "a long-shot". Acknowledging Jean's popularity, he pointed out that the musician was "unaccustomed to the rough and tumble of Haitian politics."

Whilst Jean is thought to meet most of these criteria, The Guardian reports that the rapper is "understood to have US citizenship", and that this would make him ineligible. This was denied by Jean's uncle Raymond Joseph, who is also Haitian Ambassador to the United States.

Even then, it is unclear whether Jean will qualify under the residence clause, having spent much of his life in the United States. Ambassador Joseph admitted that this would be up to the Haiti's Provisional Electoral Council to decide.

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