Wyclef Jean arrives in Haiti

  • 14 years ago

Hip hop artist and Haitian presidential hopeful Wyclef Jean has said that if elected, he will work to change Haiti's constitution to allow dual citizenship and give Haitians living abroad the right to vote.

The former Fugees member arrived in Haiti from Belgium, where he held a concert - possibly one of his last for five years if elected, he said.

Jean, who appeared relaxed and was wearing a blue track suit and headphones around his neck, spoke at the main airport in Port-au-Prince.

He touched on issues of security, former Haitian President Jean Bertrand Aristide and on what being a celebrity has taught him about politics.

"Celebrity has taught me that politics is 'poli-tricks'," he said. "The fact that I'm coming with this with fresh eyes but not naive ears, I think that's a good start."

But he spent most of the interview discussing the Haitian Diaspora, concentrated mainly in Miami, New York, Paris and Montreal.

Jean himself left the Caribbean nation when he was nine, but never sought US citizenship.

An eight-member provisional electoral council is scheduled to decide whether Jean will even be listed on the 28 November presidential ballot on. According to the country's constitution, Haitian presidents must have lived in the country for at least five consecutive years