Wyclef to Run for Haiti President

Entertainer enters crowded field of candidates
By Newser Editors and Wire Services
Posted Aug 4, 2010 6:23 AM CDT
Wyclef to Run for Haiti President
FILE - This May 20, 2008 file photo shows Wyclef Jean speaking during a news conference in New York.   (Seth Wenig)

The rumors are true: Singer Wyclef Jean plans to run for president of earthquake-ravaged Haiti and will announce his candidacy in the coming days. Former Haitian parliamentary leader Pierre Eric Jean-Jacques said the Haiti-born hip hop artist will run as part of his coalition in the Nov. 28 election. The former Fugees frontman's brother, Samuel Jean, confirmed that the singer will announce his intentions in a televised interview from Haiti tomorrow.

Dozens of candidates are expected to compete for the presidency, among them Jean's uncle Raymond Joseph, who is Haiti's ambassador in Washington. Jean will be a candidate for a new coalition that calls itself Ansanm Nou Fo, which translates as "together we are strong" in Creole. He is popular in Haiti for his music and for his work through his charity Yele Haiti, which raised more than $9 million after the Jan. 12 earthquake but has been widely criticized for alleged financial irregularities.
(More Wyclef Jean stories.)

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