Wyclef Jean To Run For President Of Haiti

Hip-hop artist Wyclef Jean says he has submitted the necessary paperwork to run for president of Haiti, a country he left when he was a child.

Jean made the anticipated announcement Thursday on CNN’s “Larry King Live.” The singer traveled to Haiti to submit the paperwork.

Jean was one of the first, and most visible, celebrities to offer aid after a devastating earthquake hit Haiti in January. He has also been an outspoken proponent of the nation through his Yele Haiti Foundation, which has come under scrutiny for how it spends its money.

“Yes, it’s my first time announcing it live — that today I went in, and I signed, and I am running to be the president of Haiti,” said Jean, in his first television interview about his decision to run.

Whoever is elected in November, the new president will face the monumental task of rebuilding the country that was ravaged by a January 12 earthquake that killed more than 220,000 people, destroyed 60 percent of government infrastructure and left more than 180,000 homes uninhabitable.

Whoever steps in will also oversee the billions of dollars in international aid promised to the country since the quake.

“Now that our country has toppled, it’s a chance to rebuild from the bottom on up,” Jean said, adding he will be the voice of Haiti’s youth.

Jean’s announcement quickly became a top topic on the internet, with many debating whether the music star best known for rapping, playing the guitar and dancing, could actually lead a country.