Wyclef Jean has officially ended his bid for Haiti's presidency.http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20100921/ap_en_mu/cb_haiti_wyclef_jean
A statement sent Tuesday by his publicist says the singer is leaving Haitian politics to promote a new album.
Jean's candidacy ended last month when the Caribbean country's eight-member provisional electoral council left him and more than a dozen other hopefuls off the ballot. Nineteen candidates were approved.
No official reasons were given for the exclusions. Jean is presumed not to have met constitutional requirements including living in Haiti. He lives in New Jersey.
The announcement ends speculation the singer would contest the disqualification, though the council does not allow appeals.
The election is slated for Nov. 28.
Wyclef Jean, a millionaire rapper from a rich and powerful Haitian family, raised in the U.S., became one of the leading candidates for president of Haiti on a whim, until he was disqualified because he hadn't lived in Haiti in decades. Then, he gave up his appeal of the decision, and quit the presidential race, because he has a new album coming out.
Until Haiti develops a mature and responsible political culture, it is doomed to failure.
Giving Haiti billions of dollars more in aid won't change a thing until that happens.
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