Denied! Wyclef Can't Run for President of Haiti

Wyclef Jean, who announced his candidacy for president of Haiti earlier this month, will not be allowed to appear on the Nov. 28 ballot because his application was rejected, a source tells Reuters.

According to a member of the provisional electoral council, which will formally publish the list of approved candidates tomorrow, Wyclef is not in compliance with legal requirements because presidential candidates must have spent the five years prior to the election living in Haiti. Wyclef lives in New Jersey and is a naturalized US citizen.

He argued that he should be exempt from the residency requirement because of his position as a roving ambassador. His powers of persuasions didn't work.

Earlier this week Wycelf announced he was forced to go into hiding following death threats death on the island.

Update: Haiti's politicians are as corrupt as they come, so it's no surprise that there are talks that Wyclef -- or someone in his camp -- is attempting to bribe the eight sitting members of the country's electoral council into allowing the hip-hop star to run. Wyclef denies this is happening. According to the Miami Herald, despite 20 pages of legal documents submitted as proof that Wyclef is not eligible to run, only the president of the council, Gaillot Dorsinvil, is in support of Wycelf's candidacy. Wyclef insists that he will be declared eligible to run. Riiiiigggghhhhhhhttttttt.

Update 2: Wyclef's money is no good in Haiti. The AP is also reporting that the electoral council has rejected Wyclef's application.



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