Wyclef Jean presidential bid

Hip-hop singer Wyclef Jean said Sunday he is not abandoning his

presidential bid just yet and will try to get the courts to overturn a
decision disqualifying him from the race.

Speaking to The Associated Press by telephone from his home in Croix des
Bouquets, Jean said his lawyers will file an appeal with the national
electoral dispute office.

Jean said that he has a document "which shows everything is correct" and
that he and his aides "feel that what is going on here has everything to
do with Haitian politics."

"They are trying to keep us out of the race," he said, referring to
Haiti's political establishment.

Haiti's elections board rejected Jean's candidacy Friday night —
presumably because it decided he didn't meet residency requirements,
although the board did not cite a specific reason. Under Haitian law, a
presidential candidate must have lived in the country for five consecutive  years leading up to the election.

Jean has argued that he was not required to comply with the law so
strictly because after President Rene Preval appointed him as roving
ambassador in 2007, he was allowed to travel and live outside the country.

Some officials in Haiti worried about political unrest among Jean
supporters after his candidacy was rejected. But the singer asked his fans
to stay calm, and there were no significant election-related protests or
violence over the weekend — although rumors swirled about a large protest
planned for Monday.
Many people in Jean's hometown of Croix des Bouquets — a suburb of the
capital, Port-au-Prince — cheered the singer Sunday in his quest for the
presidency.