Music

Council lawyer says "no possibility" for Wyclef Jean to be added as candidate

by Ciaran Thompson

According to a council lawyer, the decision to disqualify former Fugees member Wyclef Jean from running for the Haitian presidency is final and cannot be overturned. Last Friday the electoral council in Haiti rejected Jean’s candidacy to run in the upcoming election set to take place later this year on grounds that he did not meet the residency requirement.

After accepting the news gracefully, the rapper/producer quickly changed his mind and launched an appeal against the decision. However a member of the council’s legal department pointed out yesterday that under article 191 of Haiti’s electoral law, the rulings are definitive and cannot be appealed.

“There is absolutely no possibility for Wyclef Jean to be added to the list of candidates approved to run in the next presidential elections,” Samuel Pierre, a council lawyer, said. “So it’s over.”

Jean said he presented documents that show his on and off residency in Haiti over the past five years, but Pierre said the council did not receive any formal appeal from Jean or his lawyers. “When it comes to electoral matters, the electoral council is the Supreme Court, meaning there is nowhere else to go.” [Reuters]