New York, August 21 (ANI): Wyclef Jean has been disqualified as a candidate for president election in Haiti, Haiti's electoral council announced.
No explanation was given. A council spokesman, Richardson Dumesle, simply read the list of 19 presidential aspirants deemed eligible and 15, including Jean, judged ineligible, reports the New York Times.
Throughout the day, the Haitian news media debated unconfirmed reports that Jean had already been disqualified from running, primarily because of a failure to meet the requirement of having been a resident of Haiti for five consecutive years before the election.
Jean, the Haitian-American hip hop star, left Haiti as a child for the United States and now shuttles between the two countries.
On Friday evening, hundreds of Jean's passionate supporters had rallied outside the electoral council's offices, chanting, "We want Clef, Clef is Haiti and Haiti is for Clef."
The decision to eliminate Jean was considered the most delicate, however. Despite his lack of political experience, Jean had been considered a potential front-runner from the moment he announced his candidacy in the first week of August. At that time, he described himself as having been "drafted" to run by the youth of Haiti.
"I didn't create this hurricane, this tsunami you're feeling in the last couple of days," he said in an interview before announcing his candidacy.
Jean sent a message to his supporters urging calm, Haitian radio stations reported. He also posted photographs on Twitter of his meeting with the president: "This is another pic of me n President René Préval from Yesterday's Meeting. Very positive. Smiles all the way."
He also said he should not be disqualified on the basis of the residency requirement because he is a goodwill ambassador for Haiti, appointed by Préval with a mandate to rove the world. (ANI)
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