Grammy award-winning Wyclef Jean to run for President of Haiti
BEIJING. August 6. KAZINFORM The Haitian-American hip-hop singer Wyclef Jean announced on Thursday that he will run for president of Haiti in the country's upcoming November election. Kazinform refers to Xinhua.
His announcement has ended years of speculation about his political ambitions, according to media reports.
Dozens of his supporters cheered as Jean, accompanied by his wife and daughter, arrived by motorcade at an electoral office in the capital, Port-au-Prince, which is still largely in ruins from the devastating Jan. 12 earthquake.
"The United States has Obama, here you're going to have Wyclef," the former Fugees singer was quoted by the AFP as saying in his first public comments since arriving in Port-au-Prince on a private plane to officially launch his bid for the presidency.
If Jean's candidacy is approved, Jean will face several candidates who lack his international fame but have more political clout in seeking to replace incumbent Rene Preval
The winner of the Nov. 28 election will preside over the billions in international aid being channeled to Haiti for reconstruction after the earthquake. Kazinform cites Xinhua. See www.xinhuanet.com for full version.