Wyclef Jean’s bid to become the president of Haiti officially ends Tuesday, as Haiti’s electoral council will disqualify him and deny him an appeal of their ruling. Jean was originally disqualified based on a residency requirement; he left Haiti with his family at the age of nine. After initially accepting the ruling, Jean backtracked.
“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,” Jean said via written statement.
Samuel Pierre, who represents the legal department of Haiti’s election council explained that rulings are definitive and can’t be denied.
“Therefore there is absolutely no possibility for Wyclef Jean to be added to the list of candidates approved to run in the next presidential elections,” Pierre told Reuters. “So it’s over.”
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While not giving a specific reason, election officials did say Jean failed to meet the requirement of maintaining five consecutive years of residency in Haiti prior to running.
“I have spent half my life in Haiti going back and forth,” Jean responded, in an interview with MSNBC on Tuesday. “The electoral council is very corrupted.”
