Musician is considering public office in birth country, family says
Musician Wyclef Jean is considering to run for president in Haiti’s next election, but has not yet decided whether or not he will seek a five-year term as leader of the country, his family said in a statement. Jean, 37, was born on the outskirts of Port-au-Prince but moved to Brooklyn, NY, as a child. Rumours have been circulating about Jean’s possible presidential run since his 2007 appointment as ambassador-at-large for the Caribbean nation by President René Préval, who cannot seek re-election. To enter the race, Jean would have to prove he has resided in Haiti for five consecutive years, own property in the country and have never been a citizen of any country other than Haiti. Dozens of candidates are expected to declare their candidacy by the August 7 deadline, and whoever wins will face the task of rebuilding the country devastated by the recent earthquake and decades of financial instability.