Wyclef Disqualified from Haiti Presidential Race

Published by Tyler Hakes on August 26, 2010 at 6:06 pm

Wyclef (Haiti President Run) Wyclef’s high-profile bid for the presidency in Haiti has been cut short. After initially being denied by the electoral council, Wyclef attempted to appeal the decision. The council came back by denying his appeal, ending his campaign before it even began.

The council originally denied Wyclef the right to run by citing residency requirements that he didn’t meet. Wyclef left Haiti with his family at the age of nine, and although he’s frequently and publicly visited his home country, the requirements state that all candidates must have at least five years of permanent residency.

The Fugees MC was initially slated to accept the denial without contest, and later decided he would attempt to appeal the decision.

“After careful consideration and much soul-searching, I have made the decision to contest Haiti’s board of election’s pronouncement stating that I am ineligible to run for the presidency of the country,” he reportedly said in a statement.

Samuel Pierre, who represents the election council’s legal arm, issued a statement to new service Rueters saying Wyclef’s run was over. “There is absolutely no possibility for Wyclef Jean to be added to the list of candidates approved to run in the next presidential elections,” he said.

Wyclef still contests that the decision was unfair. He called the council “very corrupt” in an interview with MSNBC earlier this week. But, he doesn’t seem to be pursuing further action at this time. His run appears to have come to a premature end.