Wyclef Jean Confirms Candidacy As Haitian Presidential Race Heats Up – Latin America News Dispatch Musician Wyclef Jean is thinking of running for president of Haiti. Haitian-American hip hop artist and presidential candidate Wyclef Jean. Today in Latin America Top Story — It is now certain that pop star Wyclef Jean will run for the Haitian presidency, confirming rumors that have been circulating for weeks. “My decision was a draft. I’m being drafted by the youth,” Jean told Time Magazine in a video posted to its Web site. Ex-Prime Minister Jacques-Edouard Alexis has also announced he will run. With the support of current President René Préval’s newly formed Unity party, Alexis is expected to be one of the strongest candidates. Jean also faces competition from his own uncle, Raymond Joseph, the former ambassador to the United States . The winner of the election, scheduled for Nov. 28, will face some of the most urgent problems of any leader in the hemisphere. The Jan. 12 earthquake leveled Haiti’s capital, killing an estimated 230,000 people and leaving as many as 1.6 million homeless.

The new president will also face the intimidating task of building a strong Haitian state . The devastation caused by the natural disaster was facilitated by Haiti’s poor infrastructure and shoddy construction. At the heart of the problem, many experts say, was a weak Haitian government hobbled by a combination of foreign intervention, corruption and poverty. Jean’s formal entry into Haitian politics also promises to highlight a growing tension between those who were living on the island when the devastating earthquake struck on Jan. 12 and those who immigrated and have returned to help rebuild the country. Jean was born in Haiti, but raised in Brooklyn, New York. Jean will formally announce his candidacy tonight in an English-language interview, according to The Miami Herald. Below is a video of Wycleff Jean Speaking with Time Magazine. Just Published at the Latin America News Dispatch Alison Bowen discussed the Arizona immigration law’s ripple effects in the latest post to her blog Beyond Borders . Headlines from the Western Hemisphere North America Mexican drug cartels are increasingly using online videos to intimidate rivals, law enforcement and the public by airing violent footage of executions and other crimes. Mexicana de Aviación suspended ticket sales Wednesday as the airline faces mounting debts.

Caribbean Haiti hip-hop star Wyclef Jean turns presidential contender | The Independent Haiti hip-hop star Wyclef Jean turns presidential contender Friday 6 August 2010 09:12 BST Click to follow The Independent US Haitian hip-hop star Wyclef Jean registered as a presidential contender yesterday, in a move into politics that generated an outburst of popular enthusiasm in his poor, earthquake-ravaged homeland. "I would like to tell (U.S.) President Barack Obama that the United States has Obama and Haiti has Wyclef Jean," the three-time Grammy award-winner told cheering supporters in a downtown area of Port-au-Prince. "This is the only president who will dance when Creole hip-hop is being played," Jean, 40, said in a speech after formally declaring his candidacy for the 28 November presidential election. He filed papers at the electoral council to run as a candidate for the Viv Ansanm (Live Together) political party, as excited young supporters clad in white and red T-shirts emblazoned with the words "Fas a Fas," the party's youth movement, packed the surrounding streets.

The registration was required ahead of a Saturday filing deadline and authorities now have until 17 August to approve or reject his candidacy for the 28 November ballot. "If his candidacy is approved, I think he's going to be the next president," said Saurel Magloire, who was among those gathered outside the electoral council. Since former populist President Jean-Bertrand Aristide ran for the country's top job in 1990, Magloire said he had never seen such a big outpouring of public support. Jean, standing and waving to onlookers from the open sun-roof of his sport utility vehicle, drew repeated chants of "Long Live Wyclef" and "President Jean" as his impromptu motorcade later wound its way through the densely packed streets of the capital. "It was an extraordinary homecoming for Jean, who had flown into Haiti with his wife and young daughter and other relatives on a private jet from their home in the United States. Singer-songwriter Jean has never held elective office but is widely admired in Haiti and credited with never having forgotten his Haitian roots.

The former Fugees star, best known for his work with Colombian pop star Shakira and their 2006 mega-hit "Hips Don't Lie," was born in Haiti but grew up in New York. He has long been active in raising money for his homeland through his Yele Haiti Foundation, especially since the 12 January earthquake that killed as many as 300,000 people. The disaster has left some 1.5 million homeless survivors still under tarpaulins and in makeshift tent cities. More than half the population of Haiti, which is the poorest country in the Americas, is under 21. Because of that, and because he is seen as a figure of hope and inspiration for a country with a turbulent history, many analysts predict Jean could easily win the presidential election. Haiti's outgoing government of President Rene Preval, who cannot seek re-election, has been widely criticized for failing to aid victims of the quake and for being slow to launch a credible start to the huge task of rebuilding the country. Preval's election in 2006 brought a measure of stability to a country torn by decades of dictatorship, military rule, political upheaval and gang violence.

But Haitians, who mostly earn less than $2 a day and live in utter poverty, complain they are worse off than ever since the quake, which has been described by some experts as one of the most destructive natural disasters in modern history. Though talk about Jean's candidacy has already generated widespread enthusiasm in Haiti, he faces many challenges in what he has described as his attempted transition "from rock star to statesman." One potential obstacle, according to Eduardo Gamarra, a political science professor at Florida International University, is Jean's lack of management skills in a country with weak institutions that is in dire need of rebuilding. "Whoever is president, he's going to have to be an excellent manager," Gamarra said. "The fact is, the only thing he's managed is his band." Not only are his political skills untested, but, as a member of Haiti's exile community, he could also be vulnerable to charges he is out of touch with the daily life of Haitians.

In an interview with CNN, hours after registering his candidacy, Jean said he felt as though he had been "drafted" by the Haitian people to give them "a piece of the dream that I got in America." Despite the desperation in Haiti, he added, "There's a crowd behind me right now with so much excitement, because they feel hope is on its way." Jean also denied any personal financial wrongdoing stemming from his role as head of Yele Haiti, which he stepped down from yesterday, and said reported problems he had with US authorities involving his personal income taxes were being dealt with. "The situation with the IRS was a situation that came up and it is a situation that will be handled," Jean said. "Can I continue staying in America, working and making millions of dollars a day? Yes I can. But now the mission has changed. I'm 40 years old and I want to focus on helping the people of Haiti," he said.

More about: Wyclef Jean Ponders A Run At Haiti's Presidency : NPR Wyclef Jean Ponders A Run At Haiti's Presidency Embed Embed Wyclef Jean Ponders A Run At Haiti's Presidency Wyclef Jean Ponders A Run At Haiti's Presidency Embed Embed Heard on Morning Edition Haitian-born musician Wyclef Jean is expected to announce Thursday night on CNN's Larry King Live that he intends to run for president of Haiti. Jonathan Katz of the Associated Press talks to Renee Montagne about the political climate in Haiti. RENEE MONTAGNE, host: Politics in Haiti is about to get some star power from a hip-hop artist who became famous with The Fugees, as in refugees. His family moved from Haiti to New York when he was a child. Today, Wyclef Jean is going home to formally announce he'll run for president. He's serious, and so is the challenge presented by his ruined country for anyone who might take it on. Reporter Jonathan Katz is with the Associated Press in Haiti. Good morning. Mr. JONATHAN KATZ (Associated Press): Good morning. MONTAGNE: How much of a surprise is this?

And Wyclef Jean, for those who may not be so familiar with him, what's his story, that he might actually be running for president? Mr. KATZ: You know, I'll tell you, I moved to Haiti three years ago, and as of 2007 and before that, there had been rumors floating that Wyclef was a potential presidential candidate. So it's not completely out of the blue, although there was often an assumption that it was mostly talk, and that it was not really going to materialize. But from Wyclef's point of view, and I certainly can't speak for him, the music that he has done has had a political element to it, and he's been involved in some fairly political aspects of Haitian life for a while. In 2007, he was made an ambassador-at-large by President Rene Preval. His charity aid group Yele Haiti is very active. So it's not completely out of character with the way he's talked and the way he's acted. MONTAGNE: Now you're in Haiti, and although he is not officially announced, the word's out. How are Haitians reacting to his possible candidacy? Mr.

KATZ: I don't think people know quite how to react yet. The dividing line seems to be based on how you feel about somebody who's almost entirely politically inexperienced. And I think some people look at him as being almost a foreigner. For some people, that's really a positive. Other people look at the trouble that Haiti's in now, especially after the earthquake, but even going along before that with grinding poverty and the huge institutional voids that need to be developed in the government, and they see somebody who doesn't have a lot of experience and they doubt that he will be capable of doing it. MONTAGNE: Okay. Well, besides him, and his name is making news for this election in Haiti that's still some months off - it's not until the end of November. What other candidates are out there? Mr. KATZ: The thing about an election in Haiti is just about everybody seems to participate. It's almost a running joke, so there's no shortage of candidates. One of the big names came down on Wednesday.

President Preval's Unity Party decided that it was going to back former Prime Minister Jacques-Edouard Alexis, who was Preval's prime minister from 2006, until he was ousted in 2008. But with the backing of the Unity Party, which is a fairly new but a very powerful coalition, he's a candidate who is going to need to be taken very seriously. The field is so huge and so wide open, it's really going to take getting closer to November 28th to figure out exactly who the frontrunners are going to be. MONTAGNE: You just spoke of one candidate who may be a serious candidate. Is Wyclef Jean a serious candidate, in that sense? Mr. KATZ: There's absolutely a chance. He's a candidate who is going to come in with money. He's going to come in with an ability to draw a crowd. And anytime you have somebody like that, you have to take them seriously as a candidate. Now, that said, there's some questions about whether or not he's even going to be qualified under the constitution to run.

One of the big questions is that you have to have lived in Haiti for five consecutive years before you try for the presidency. It essentially seems that he has not. Regardless, this race is all about people vying for one of the toughest jobs in the world, and in some ways, whoever wins, that's when the real trials are going to start. MONTAGNE: Jonathan Katz is the correspondent for the Associated Press in Haiti, speaking to us from Port-au-Prince. Thanks very much. Mr. KATZ: Thank you. (Soundbite of song, "If I Was President") Mr. WYCLEF JEAN (Rapper): (Singing) ...if I was president. I'd get elected on Friday, assassinated on Saturday, buried on Sunday, then go back to work on Monday. MONTAGNE: This is MORNING EDITION, from NPR News. Copyright © 2010 NPR. All rights reserved. Visit our website terms of use and permissions pages at for further information. NPR transcripts are created on a rush deadline by Verb8tm, Inc. , an NPR contractor, and produced using a proprietary transcription process developed with NPR.

This text may not be in its final form and may be updated or revised in the future. Accuracy and availability may vary. The authoritative record of NPR’s programming is the audio record. Celebritology 2.0 - In light of Wyclef Jean's possible run for Haitian presidency, a look at other potential celeb politicians Posted at 11:40 AM ET, 07/28/2010 In light of Wyclef Jean's possible run for Haitian presidency, a look at other potential celeb politicians By Jen Chaney Haiti native and former Fugee Wyclef Jean is seriously considering running for president of Haiti in that country's November election, according to numerous news reports. Although the singer and activist hasn't officially confirmed his plans, already Celebritology has one piece of advice for Jean: Don't make " Gone Till November " your official campaign theme. Jean's possible run has sparked thoughts about other celebrities whom we also wouldn't be surprised to see pursuing political leadership roles. We know all the usual rich-and-famous suspects who would make natural candidates for president, senator or governor: your Bonos, your Clooneys, your Brangelinas and Oprah Winfreys.

But here are five other celebrities who could easily channel their star power and commitment to civic causes into successful runs for office. (AP) Billie Joe Armstrong The frontman for Green Day is clearly a political guy, one who has done work for Habitat for Humanity, campaigned for Barack Obama and made a career out of making social statements through post-punk pop. He's also a California native, so perhaps he'd be a logical person to pursue state office and help clean up its very messy economy ? Another plus: He's already written his campaign slogan: " I don't want to be an American idiot ." (AP) Matt Damon Here's a guy who has founded humanitarian organizations like the H20 Africa Foundation , become an ambassador for OnexOne and boasts a blazing smile that demands diplomacy. He also attended Harvard University (smart and elite) but dropped out before graduating (can relate to the common man). And, in addition to all that, he's Jason Bourne. You're telling me he couldn't be elected president? (AP) Ian Somerhalder The Boone bias of this Celebritologist has been well documented.

Somerhalder's hotness aside, the actor and Louisiana native has demonstrated real dedication to the cleanup of the Gulf Coast to a degree that virtually no other celebrity has. If his outrage about the BP oil spill and his commitment to helping repair the damage are any indication, he could make a heck of a congressional representative for the great state of Louisiana. (AP) Salma Hayek The knockout actress is another example of someone who has dedicated much of her time to humanitarian causes, particularly women's issues. Most notably, she ignited controversy last year when she breastfed a Sierra Leone infant whose mother could not produce milk. Clearly Hayek -- a nominee for VH1's Do Something Movie Star Award -- isn't afraid to give of herself in the most literal way. If Jean actually runs for president of Haiti, maybe Hayek could follow in his footsteps someday and seek the highest office of her native country: Mexico. (AP) Wyclef Jean officially joins the race for Haitian presidency | Daily Mail Online comments Actor Sean Penn poured cold water over hip hop star Wyclef Jean’s bid for the presidency of Haiti today.

The escalating feud between the Oscar-winning Hollywood leading man and the three-time Grammy-winning singer - both multi-millionaires – threatened to overshadow Mr Jean’s triumphant homecoming. The former Fugees star returned to Port-au-Prince to formally register his nomination to become president of the earthquake-ravaged Caribbean nation. Sean Penn told CNN in an emotional interview that Wyclef Jean had been a 'non-presence' during efforts to rebuild earthquake-ravaged Haiti Haitian-born singer Wyclef Jean greets supporters from the top of a vehicle after submitting the paperwork to run for president of Haiti in Port-au-Prince, Haiti Jean says he will rebuild Haiti through education, job creation and investment With a supporter holding aloft a skull – a symbol of rebirth and power in the Voodoo religion – Mr Jean, 40, announced to cheering crowds: ‘I would like to tell President Barack Obama that the United States has Obama and Haiti has Wyclef Jean.’ He claimed he would reunite one of the world’s poorest nations through education, job creation and investment. ‘This is the only president who will dance when creole hip-hop is being played,’ he added.

But just hours after Mr Jean confirmed his candidacy, Sean Penn was questioning the New York-raised rapper’s motives and of those backing his nascent campaign. Mr Penn, who has spent extended periods in Haiti since the devastating January 12 earthquake, told CNN in an emotional interview that Mr Jean had been a ‘non-presence’ during efforts to rebuild the capital in the months since the disaster. A supporter from Fas a Fas, the youth movement of the Viv Ansanm political party, holds a skull aloft, a poignant symbol of rebirth for the earthquake ravaged country The 40-year-old cradles a crying child as he walks through the crowds of his supporters Jean says it is his 'mission' to help the people of Haiti ‘I am not accusing Wyclef Jean of being an opportunist. I don’t know the man,’ he said. ‘One of the reasons I don’t know very much about Wyclef Jean is I haven’t seen or heard anything of him in these last six months that I’ve been in Haiti.

‘He has been virtually silent for those of us in Haiti,’ added Mr Penn, who has been running a 55,000-person tent camp in the country through a charity he co-founded. Speaking from his home in Malibu, the actor acknowledged Mr Jean was ‘an important voice.’ But he also demanded an investigation into claims that the presidential hopeful misused more than a quarter of a million donated to his Yele Haiti relief charity. ‘He claims he didn’t do it. That has to be looked into,’ said Mr Penn, who added that he knows how much that amount of money ‘could do for these people’s lives and for a 24-year-old girl right now who is dying.’ ‘So, I want to see someone who is really, really willing to sacrifice for their country and not just someone who I personally saw with a vulgar entourage of vehicles that demonstrated a wealth in Haiti that, in context, I felt was a very obscene demonstration,’ he added angrily.

Fas a Fas members join the presidential candidate as he addressed crowds in Port-au-Prince Much of Haiti still lies in ruins and the disaster has left some 1.5 million homeless survivors still under tarpaulins and in makeshift tent cities Mr Penn also claimed that Mr Jean’s presidential bid was backed by US business interests looking to profit from Haiti’s rebuilding. The fuming rapper hit back today, saying: ‘I just want Sean Penn to fully understand I am a Haitian, born in Haiti and I’ve been coming to my country ever since I was a child. ‘He might just want to pick up the phone and meet, so he fully understands the man.’ His campaign launch didn’t get much help from an old Fugees bandmate, Pras, either. In a not-too-veiled snub, he said that Mr Jean’s rival, Michel Martell, was ‘the most competent candidate for the job.’ Earlier this year, Mr Jean tearfully denied misappropriating any charity cash. He has also brushed aside questions over £750,000 he owes to the US taxman. 'Those allegations are not true.

The allegations that are true when it comes to the Yele Haiti is the situation of the tax, which wasn't filed on time,' he said. 'My governance was questioned and we brought in an accountant firm from Washington and cleaned up the tax issue. 'In addition to that, we brought in a new CEO, Derrick Johnson. 'But did Wyclef Jean every take Yele Haiti money to put in his personal pocket? Never.' The 40-year-old singer songwriter flew into Haiti with his wife and daughter on a private jet He added that his problems with the IRS would soon be taken care of. 'Any personal Wyclef matters are being handled as we speak,' he said. Already a potential front-runner in Haiti’s pivotal November 28 election, Mr Jean must first be cleared to run. Among the requirements he must fulfill are proving that he has never renounced his Haitian citizenship by holding a US passport and that he has been a Haitian resident for the last five years, which by most accounts he has not. His campaign will argue that his status as an ‘ambassador-at-large’ for Haiti, a post he was awarded in 2007, exempts him from not spending more time in his native country.

The singer, officially running under the banner of the Viv Ansanm party – whose name means ‘live together’ - sees himself as an advocate for Haiti’s struggling youth in a country that remains in ruins more than six months after the earthquake, with 1.5 million people still homeless and living under tarpaulins and in makeshift tent cities. A supporter holds a portrait of Jean as he leaves the electoral office after submitting the paperwork to run for the presidency The singer described himself as 'the only president who will dance when Creole hip-hop is being played' THE SYMBOLISM OF THE SKULL In Haitian Voodoo, the bones of deceased ancestors are viewed with great respect. They are thought to have magical and restorative powers and it is not uncommon for devotees to have human skulls in their shrines. The ownership of bones indicates reverence for ancestral spirits, not an affiliation with ‘black magic’. Voodoo was sanctioned as an official religion in 2003 by the Haitian government. 'If his candidacy is approved, I think he's going to be the next president,' said Saurel Magloire, who was among those gathered outside the electoral council.

Since former populist President Jean-Bertrand Aristide ran for the country's top job in 1990, Magloire said he had never seen such a big outpouring of public support. Jean, standing and waving to onlookers from the open sun-roof of his sport utility vehicle, drew repeated chants of 'Long Live Wyclef' and 'President Jean' as his impromptu motorcade later wound its way through the densely packed streets of the capital. It was an extraordinary homecoming for Jean, who had flown into Haiti with his wife and young daughter and other relatives on a private jet from their home in the United States. The former Fugees star, best known for his work with Colombian pop star Shakira and their 2006 mega-hit 'Hips Don't Lie,' was born in Haiti but grew up in New York. He has long been active in raising money for his homeland through his Yele Haiti Foundation, especially since the January 12 earthquake that killed as many as 300,000 people. The disaster has left some 1.5 million homeless survivors still under tarpaulins and in makeshift tent cities.

More than half the population of Haiti, which is the poorest country in the Americas, is under 21. Because of that, and because he is seen as a figure of hope and inspiration for a country with a turbulent history, many analysts predict Jean could easily win the presidential election. Haiti's outgoing government of President Rene Preval, who cannot seek re-election, has been widely criticised for failing to aid victims of the quake and for being slow to launch a credible start to the huge task of rebuilding the country. Preval's election in 2006 brought a measure of stability to a country torn by decades of dictatorship, military rule, political upheaval and gang violence. But Haitians, who mostly earn less than $2 a day and live in utter poverty, complain they are worse off than ever since the quake, which has been described by some experts as one of the most destructive natural disasters in modern history.

Though talk about Jean's candidacy has already generated widespread enthusiasm in Haiti, he faces many challenges in what he has described as his attempted transition 'from rock star to statesman.' One potential obstacle, according to Eduardo Gamarra, a political science professor at Florida International University, is Jean's lack of management skills in a country with weak institutions that is in dire need of rebuilding. 'Whoever is president, he's going to have to be an excellent manager,' Gamarra said. 'The fact is, the only thing he's managed is his band.' Not only are his political skills untested, but, as a member of Haiti's exile community, he could also be vulnerable to charges he is out of touch with the daily life of Haitians.

In an interview with CNN, hours after registering his candidacy, Jean said he felt as though he had been 'drafted' by the Haitian people to give them 'a piece of the dream that I got in America.' Despite the desperation in Haiti, he added, 'There's a crowd behind me right now with so much excitement, because they feel hope is on its way.' Following his walkabout, Jean shrugged off his suit jacket and donned a bandana Haiti, which was hit in January by a deadly 7.0-magnitude earthquake 'Can I continue staying in America, working and making millions of dollars a day? Yes I can. But now the mission has changed. I'm 40 years old and I want to focus on helping the people of Haiti,' he said. The hip-hop star with his eye on the presidency Wycle Jean, 40, was born in Haiti, on the outskirts of Port-au-Prince. He left his deeply impoverished Caribbean homeland at the age of 9, and grew up in New York. The three-time Grammy award-winner is widely admired in Haiti for never having turned his back on his Haitian roots despite his country's ranking as the poorest state in the Americas.

Jean's music career took off in the mid-1990s as a member of The Fugees, whose biggest hit was a cover version of Roberta Flack's 'Killing Me Softly With His Song.' As a rapper and producer, he later rose to worldwide fame for his work with Colombian pop star Shakira, most notably on the 2006 mega hit 'Hips Don't Lie.' Little is known about his political leanings. But in a song released two years ago, 'If I Was President,' he seemed to take a fatalistic view of public life in a country ravaged by decades of dictatorship, military rule, political upheaval and gang violence. 'If I was president, I'd get elected on Friday, assassinated on Saturday, buried on Sunday. Then go back to work on Monday,' the lyrics say. Jean has appeared in several films including 'Ghosts of Cite Soleil,' a documentary released in 2007. The film took its name from Haiti's biggest and most dangerous slum and focused on gang leaders and armed supporters of former President Jean-Bertrand Aristide, who once ruled the teeming ghetto like their personal fiefdom.

Jean with his Fugees band members Lauryn Hill and Pras Michel Wyclef Jean not on Haiti candidate list | Hollywood Reporter Wyclef Jean not on Haiti candidate list 6:23 AM PDT 8/20/2010 by Staff report , AP Star's name not on list of presidential hopefuls Hip-hop star Wyclef Jean was not on the list of approved candidates for Haiti's presidential election. Reuters reported that a member of the country's provisional electoral council said he wasn't on the list of candidates who satisfy legal requirements to run. The final and official list is to be published some time on Friday. Reuters also said Haitian New Yorkers are wary of Jean's political ambitions. Weary, And Wary, Haitians Prepare For Elections : NPR Weary, And Wary, Haitians Prepare For Elections Embed Embed Weary, And Wary, Haitians Prepare For Elections Weary, And Wary, Haitians Prepare For Elections Embed Embed Enlarge this image Eight months after the earthquake that devastated Port-au-Prince on Jan. 12, the Presidential Palace stands, half-collapsed, as a symbol of how slow and difficult the reconstruction effort is proving to be.

It will be a major problem facing Haiti's next president. Campaigning for the election, scheduled for Nov. 28, is under way. Valentina Pasquali for NPR hide caption toggle caption Valentina Pasquali for NPR Eight months after the earthquake that devastated Port-au-Prince on Jan. 12, the Presidential Palace stands, half-collapsed, as a symbol of how slow and difficult the reconstruction effort is proving to be. It will be a major problem facing Haiti's next president. Campaigning for the election, scheduled for Nov. 28, is under way. Valentina Pasquali for NPR In Haiti, campaigning for next month's presidential elections is under way. Nineteen candidates are vying to lead the earthquake-ravaged nation. And with Haitian-American musician Wyclef Jean out of the race there's no clear front-runner. It could be a contentious battle for one of the toughest political jobs in the world. Michel Martely is among the candidates. Wearing an open-collar white shirt and pressed gray slacks and with a shaved bald head, Martely is instantly recognized as he steps out of his SUV at the Port-au-Prince airport on a recent day.

The baggage porters yell "Presidente!" and a crowd quickly forms around the musician turned candidate. Martely, who's known as "Sweet Micky," has been a leading pop star in Haiti since the late 1980s. A Country Of Survival, Not Love Now, in his first run for public office, Martely wants to lead the country. "We are living in a country of survival. We have no love for each other anymore," he says. Article continues after sponsorship Enlarge this image Pop star Michel Martely, known as "Sweet Micky," is now throwing his hat into the political ring. He is among 19 presidential candidates and a potential front-runner. Here, he is shown outside Port-au-Prince's international airport on his way to a fundraising trip in the United States. Valentina Pasquali for NPR hide caption toggle caption Valentina Pasquali for NPR Pop star Michel Martely, known as "Sweet Micky," is now throwing his hat into the political ring. He is among 19 presidential candidates and a potential front-runner. Here, he is shown outside Port-au-Prince's international airport on his way to a fundraising trip in the United States.

Valentina Pasquali for NPR Martely also says there's no leadership in Haiti anymore. The country has huge numbers of people without work and in the wake of the earthquake huge amounts of work to do — yet, he says, no one is putting the two together. "We have the human resource to go ahead and start the cleaning. And yet no nobody is caring about that because everybody is too busy caring about making money," Martely says. "The state doesn't serve anymore. It's not about serving the population; it's about getting rich when people get into power right now. So it's time that we changed that," he says. Despite the fact that he has no political experience, Martely says he can unify the country as it moves forward from the devastating January quake. Martely has a long list of pop hits to his credit, most of them sung in Creole. One liability for him may be that his reputation as an entertainer is that of a good-time party boy. Onstage, he often would don a dress and a wig at a moment's notice. Natural And Man-Made Problems Plague Polls The Jan.

12 earthquake killed more than 200,000 people and left 1.5 million homeless and much of Port-au-Prince in ruins. The next president will have to oversee the reconstruction and try to redirect what was already one of the most dysfunctional nations on Earth. Before the quake, roughly 80 percent of the population lived in poverty. Roads, electrical lines, sewers and other infrastructure were in desperate need of repair. Now, they need to be completely rebuilt, along with most of the capital. Post-quake reconstruction has progressed extremely slowly, and sprawling tent camps such as this one near the international airport at Port-au-Prince remain common sights. Valentina Pasquali for NPR hide caption toggle caption Valentina Pasquali for NPR Post-quake reconstruction has progressed extremely slowly, and sprawling tent camps such as this one near the international airport at Port-au-Prince remain common sights. Valentina Pasquali for NPR "I think this is one of the most important presidential elections," says Raymond Joseph, who recently stepped down as the Haitian ambassador to Washington to run for president.

But the Provisional Electoral Council rejected his candidacy "They said that I didn't have what they call the discharge, meaning discharging yourself of your duties as ambassador. Well, I do have the discharge," he says. Joseph calls the electoral council's actions "arbitrary" and "shenanigans." He says it's a sign that the ruling political elite don't intend to let Haiti hold clean, democratic elections on Nov. 28. In another controversial move, the council blocked Fanmi Lavalas, the popular party of exiled president Jean-Bertrand Aristide, from putting forward a candidate. Allegations of fraud in Haitian elections are practically inevitable, but this year's balloting faces additional challenges. The quake destroyed 40 percent of the polling stations in the country, killed tens of thousands of voters and displaced hundreds of thousands of others. And numerous people lost all their documents and no longer have voting cards. 'In The Hands Of God' The Organization of American States has launched mobile clinics in Port-au-Prince to help people get new IDs. But on a recent day, the lines at one mobile clinic have disintegrated into chaos — and tempers are flaring.

Enlarge this image Raymond Joseph, former Haitian ambassador, renounced his diplomatic post to run in this year’s presidential elections. But the Provisional Electoral Council excluded him from the final list of approved candidates because it said he had not given up his ambassadorial duties. He says the group's decision is a sign that the ruling political elite don't intend to let Haiti hold clean elections. Valentina Pasquali for NPR hide caption toggle caption Valentina Pasquali for NPR Raymond Joseph, former Haitian ambassador, renounced his diplomatic post to run in this year’s presidential elections. But the Provisional Electoral Council excluded him from the final list of approved candidates because it said he had not given up his ambassadorial duties. He says the group's decision is a sign that the ruling political elite don't intend to let Haiti hold clean elections. Valentina Pasquali for NPR Maslin Jaunit says she's been at the clinic all day and hasn't been able to get a new ID card. Jaunit says she lost her house and all her documents in the quake. She says she can't wait all day for a new ID and at this point she's giving up.

The recovery from the January quake is moving slowly, and many Haitians say they're skeptical about how much a new president can improve things. Desoire Alexander, 64, is sitting in the second story of what used to be a pink, single-family house in Carrefour, a neighborhood in Port-au-Prince. The first floor collapsed completely during the quake. The cement under Alexander slopes sharply toward the missing back of the building. He laughs when asked about the presidential candidates. "I have no opinion when it comes to candidates because when they talk, you see their mouths, you see their faces, but you don't see their hearts," he says. Officials in Haiti insist that logistically everything will be ready for the Nov. 28 presidential polls. Alexander, leaning against a shattered block of concrete, says this election and the fate of Haiti as a whole are in the hands of God.

HUFFPOST HILL - AUGUST 9TH, 2010 | The Huffington Post HuffPost Hill HUFFPOST HILL - AUGUST 9TH, 2010 08/09/2010 06:08 pm ET | Updated May 25, 2011 Happy 8/9/10, everyone. We spun around three times and spat at 12:34 pm and 56.7 seconds but all we got were ethics charges against Maxine Waters. While House staffers spent the day prepping for tomorrow's votes on state aid and border security, bloggers rejoiced at Joe Lieberman's announcement that he'll likely make a reelection bid and we tried to get a quote from Rand Paul about his collegiate misadventures with Eastern religions and bongs... and then we remembered that it's the anniversary of Jerry Garcia's death.

This is HUFFPOST HILL for Monday, August 9th, 2010: BREAKING: DICK CHENEY RELEASED FROM HOSPITAL - We can rebuild him -- we have the technology: "Former Vice President Dick Cheney has been released from a suburban Washington hospital following heart surgery last month. A Cheney spokesman said in a statement that the former vice president was released Monday morning from Inova Fairfax Heart and Vascular Institute in Northern Virginia. The statement says Cheney will continue his recovery at his home. The 69-year-old former vice president has been suffering from congestive heart failure and had a small pump installed to help his heart work. He's had five heart attacks since he was 37." HOUSE RECONVENES TOMORROW TO VOTE ON STATE AID BILL - The "Let's Harsh On Our LCs' Buzzes By Interrupting Their Trips Home Even Though Their Mothers Haven't Finished Their Laundry Act" will be the issue of the day.

CQ: "House Democratic leaders are confident they will have the votes Tuesday to pass a $26.1 billion bill that would keep more than 140,000 teachers on the job and help states pay for medical care for the poor, leadership aides said Monday...The legislation proposes $10 billion in aid to states to prevent layoffs of teachers and other public employees and $16.1 billion in Medicaid help to the states. To pay for that spending, cuts were proposed for several programs popular with Democrats, including food stamps and a renewable-energy loan initiative." HuffPost Hill hears the vote will likely come early in the afternoon, giving representatives enough time to make their Wednesday golf tournament fundraisers. Phew. Food Stamps Paying For State Aid - "Members are pissed that they're going to have to have to choose between saving jobs and protecting food stamp funding," one top progressive staffer emailed HuffPost Hill. The state aid is being offset by cuts to food stamps between 2014 and 2018.

"This is one of the more egregious cases of robbing Peter to pay Paul, and is a vote we do not take lightly," they write in a letter circulating among Dems, outlining what they want for this affront: To scrap Lincoln's Senate food stamp proposal and replace it with George Miller's, then battle it out in conference come September. Look for an organizing effort around it. The chamber will also deal with a border security measure during tomorrow's session, but a Senate screw-up will prevent it from getting signed into law before September. Revenue bills must originate in the House's Ways and Means Committee; the Senate attached its $600 million measure to a House appropriations bill. Whoops. That means the House will vote on a blue slip resolution, the legislative equivalent of failing an exam but getting a second shot at it because the professor feels sorry for you. Our borders, then, will remain fatally insecure for another month or so, after which the problem will be solved by adding another 1,500 border guards.

EXCLUSIVE: POLL FINDS VOTERS TIE CORPORATE CORRUPTION OF WASHINGTON TO ECONOMIC CONCERNS - A poll of 9,600 voters in battleground states finds that a prime way for candidates to show voters that they plan to address the faltering economy is to take a stand against corporate control of the political process. 57% said that getting the economy going required taking on corporate lobbyists. 79% said it's important that a candidate commit to reducing the influence of corporations over elections, with 56% overall saying it's very important. 60% wanted Citizens United overturned and two-thirds wold be more likely to support a candidate who backs a constitutional amendment to overturn the decision. The poll was commissioned by MoveOn.org and done by SurveyUSA. The full story in HuffPost tomorrow morning. ROMANOFF-BENNET CONTEST ALL ABOUT CORPORATE INFLUENCE - Voter concern over corporate influence on elections and lawmaking is the most potent force in the closely watched Democratic Senate primary campaign that ends in Colorado Tuesday. Andrew Romanoff, outspent by the Obama-backed Sen. Michael Bennet, has surged since making corporate control of the political process his primary issue.

He swore off political action committee (PAC) money and hammered Bennet for taking corporate cash; Bennet, in response, charged that Romanoff's "entire campaign" was based on attacking him for taking PAC money, yet he had been taking PAC money during much of his career. The poll commissioned by MoveOn in Colorado bears out that corporate power is a driving concern. GOOGLE-VERIZON UNVEIL PROPOSAL FOR TIERED INTERNET - After swearing up and down last week that they weren't in negotiations, Google and Verizon held a media call today to introduce a joint proposal for how Internet service should be regulated. The arrangement would preserve basic 'net neutrality' standards for traditional Internet service but (and this is a big but) exempt wireless Internet access - the major area of future growth for the Internet - from the same standards. Statement from the consumer group Free Press: "The Google-Verizon pact isn't just as bad as we feared -- it's much worse. They are attacking the Internet while claiming to preserve it. Google users won't be fooled. They are promising Net Neutrality only for a certain part of the Internet, one that they'll likely stop investing in.

But they are also paving the way for a new 'Internet' via fiber and wireless phones where Net Neutrality will not apply and corporations can pick and choose which sites people can easily view on their phones or any other Internet device using these networks... It would divide the information superhighway, creating new private fast lanes for the big players while leaving the little guy stranded on a winding dirt road." More here: Reaction round-up: CHARGES AGAINST MAXINE WATERS MADE PUBLIC - The totally groundbreaking revelation that lawmakers will try to steer money to individuals and organizations they have connections to will no doubt rock Washington to its core. The panel charges that Waters "requested federal help for a bank where her husband owned stock and had served on its board...The Waters case revolves around whether she helped OneUnited Bank obtain federal bailout funds in late 2008. Her husband, Sidney Williams, served as a member of OneUnited's board of directors from January 2004 until April 2008, and was a stockholder in the bank. The report says Waters asked the Treasury Department to meet representatives from the National Bankers Association, a trade group representing minority-owned and women-owned banks.

The discussion at that September 2008 meeting centered on OneUnited Bank." Waters' lawyers are taking issue with the charges saying they, yep, exhibit a double standard. Roll Call: "Lawyers for Rep. Maxine Waters have accused the House ethics committee of applying a double standard by charging her with rules violations for actions that they claim are comparable to the actions of Rep. Sam Graves (R-Mo.), who was exonerated by the committee last year." HOUSE REPUBLICANS TO INTRODUCE BILL AXING LAME DUCK SESSION - Sam Stein: "House Republicans are going forward with plans to introduce a resolution on Tuesday to prohibit the House of Representatives from assembling during the two-month period following the November elections. A GOP leadership aide confirmed to the Huffington Post that the resolution, authored by Rep.

Tom Price (R-Ga.) for the purposes of preventing Democrats from passing legislative items during the lame-duck session, would be introduced before the House passes additional Medicaid and teacher funding." GATES ORDERS MAJOR CUT IN DEFENSE CONTRACTORS - NYT: "[Defense Secretary Robert Gates] said he had ordered a 10 percent reduction in spending on contractors who provide support services to the military, including intelligence-related contracts, and placed a freeze on the number of workers in the office of the secretary of defense, other Pentagon supervisory agencies and the headquarters of the military's combat commands." Obama statement: "Today's announcement by Secretary Gates is another step forward in the reform efforts he has undertaken to reduce excess overhead costs, cut waste, and reform the way the Pentagon does business... Change is never easy, and I applaud Secretary Gates and his team for undertaking this critical effort to support our men and women in uniform and strengthen our national security." Pelosi statement: "Secretary Gates...took a hard look at the Defense Department's budget and made tough decisions to cut expenses and freeze spending...

In a critical step, the Secretary announced we would reduce our reliance on private contractors - putting critical functions of national security where they belong: in the hands of sworn and highly-trained military and intelligence officials." TOMORROW'S PAPERS TODAY - Roll Call: David M. Drucker writes that Florida Gov. Charlie Crist is likely to caucus with the Democrats or the Republicans should he advance to the Senate, if only because failing to pick a side would exclude him from the chamber's choice committees and dramatically reduce his influence. The Hill: Michael O'Brien on how senior Democrats in the White House and on Capitol Hill are expressing confidence in party Chairman Tim Kaine despite the possibility of huge losses in the midterm elections. RAND PAUL MAY SUE GQ OVER BONG STORY - Of particular note in GQ's profile is the "Aqua Buddha" incident in which Paul, while attending Baylor University, apparently blindfolded a female classmate and tried to force her to take hits from a bong. "I had to say, 'I worship you Aqua Buddha, I worship you.,'" a classmate of his tells GQ. "But when Paul showed up in Waco, he didn't conform to type.

According to several of his former Baylor classmates, he became a member of a secret society called the NoZe Brotherhood, which was a refuge for atypical Baylor students....In 1978, the Baylor administration became so fed up with the NoZe that it suspended the group from campus for being, in the words of Baylor's president at the time, 'lewd, crude, and grossly sacrilegious.'" GQ also has a picture of the group. Paul is the one standing next to the one grabbing his own crotch: "We are investigating all our options - including Legal ones," writes Paul aide Jesse Benton in an e-mail to Ben Smith. "We will not tolerate drive by Journalism by a writer with a leftist agenda." Sam Stein on The Ed Show: "This god called 'Aqua Buddha.' I don't know what that is." Pretty sure we've found the Aqua Buddha. Don't be bashful: Send tips/stories/photos/events/fundraisers/job movement/juicy miscellanea to huffposthill@huffingtonpost.com.

Follow us on Twitter - @HuffPostHill The White House plans to renominate stalled judicial nominees Goodwin Liu and Edward Chen, both of whom won Senate Judiciary Committee approval on a party-line 12-7 vote but have yet to receive a full Senate vote, the San Francisco Chronicle reports. "Letitia Long takes helm of Pentagon intelligence agency," reports WaPo's Jeff Stein, noting, "From 2003 to 2006, Long served as deputy to Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld's intelligence chief Stephen Cambone, a controversial figure who ran some of the Bush administration's most aggressive security initiatives." WYCLEF JEAN DEFENDS HAITIAN PRESIDENTIAL CAMPAIGN - Speaking to NPR News today, the pop star was pressed on his qualifications for the job. "I think what makes me qualified is the fact that I am drafted by the youth, number one. I understand that to move Haiti forward, it's gonna take policies with these four pillars with five points: education, job creation, agriculture, security and healthcare. I clearly understand that.

I also understand what makes me qualified is, if you have $5.2 billion sitting, which is promised by donors, somebody have [sic] to go get that money. And so you don't need just a local president. I think you need a president that's global, that's going to be moving through the globe." On allegations that he improperly used funds allotted for his charity, Yele Haiti: "The idea of Wyclef taking money to put in his pocket, that is a no. The idea of taking personal money to give to my family, that is a no... The idea of Wyclef being corrupted is a no." BLUE DOGS SCRAMBLE FOR NEW MEMBERS - The House Blue Dog Coalition -- which is kind of like the Tea Party Caucus before its DNA was permanently mutated during a botched trial run of its experimental energy source, resulting in a life of marauding terror in which it indiscriminately inflicts pain on hapless innocents with its hybrid photon-arm cannons, a pathetic shadow of its former self -- is in need of some new blood. "The list of outgoing Blue Dogs outpaces the 110th Congress, when the only Blue Dog who retired was Alabama Rep. Bud Cramer.

Texas Rep. Nick Lampson, Florida Rep. Tim Mahoney and Louisiana Rep. Don Cazayoux - all freshmen - lost their campaigns for re-election." Alex Isenstadt in Politico: A new poll from Rasmussen indicates the race for Judd Gregg's New Hampshire Senate seat is the Republicans' to lose. Former state AG Kelly Ayotte holds a commanding lead over Democratic Rep. Paul Hodes 51% to 38%. This is in keeping with surveys this year that regularly show Ayotte with a roughly ten-point lead over Hodes. CHARLIE CRIST/JOHN BOEHNER NEWS UPDATE ® , BROUGHT TO YOU BY SUNQUEST WOLFF ® BRAND TANNING BEDS - The first from Charlie Crist, who can now add Democratic pollster and walking anti-matter Mark Penn as a supporter. Penn and his wife Nancy are throwing a $4,800-a-plate fundraiser for the Florida governor and independent Senate candidate. The St. Petersburg Times has the invite: We're worried that we might not be able to include John Boehner in the Charlie Crist/John Boehner News Update ® brought you by Sunquest Wolff ® brand tanning beds anymore.

Boehner's opponent, Justin Coussoule has a new ad highlighting the minority leader's frequent trips to golf courses. While this is meant to suggest that Boehner is an out-of-touch lawmaker, we're worried because it implies that Boehner's orange tint might, through some freakish melanin-related condition, actually be the result of sun exposure. Sam Stein: "The spot, paid for by Blue America and Americans for America and drawing heavily from the MasterCard commercial theme, is airing in Boehner's home district on behalf of his Democratic challenger: attorney and West Point graduate Justin Coussoule. 'Rounds of golf: 100 plus. Golf expenses: $83,000. Membership at all male club: $75,000. Special interest travel including golf junkets: $159,000. Raising the retirement age to 70 and voting to end unemployment benefits: priceless'" Also taking note of the minority leader's appearance today was the Morning Joe crew. Speaking of the fake-bookshelf backdrop the Minority Leader was seated in front of on 'Meet the Press,' Scarborough said, "He's a chameleon.

He's using his special Vader powers to blend into the fake bookcases there." SHARRON ANGLE WON'T TAKE MONEY FROM GAY RIGHTS SUPPORTERS, TAKES MONEY FROM GAY RIGHTS SUPPORTERS - After months of speculation about whether she is fit for public office, Sharron Angle is at long last demonstrating her political bona fides by saying one thing and doing another. Center for Responsive Politics says Angle "recently told a conservative group that she'd refuse contributions from political action committees of corporations supporting 'equal rights for gays' or offer benefits to 'partners' of homosexual employees. Angle, to date, hasn't raised a dime from any corporate PAC, but according to a Center for Responsive Politics analysis, she has taken at least $8,900 from leaders of companies known to offer employee benefits to same-sex spouses or that operate in jurisdictions that recognize marriage between same-sex couples." Mike Huckabee has joined Sarah Palin in endorsing Lisa Murkowski's primary opponent, Joe Miller. In a statement released on the Huck PAC website, the former Arkansas governor and potential 2012 candidate said, "Actually knowing how a national law will impact people at the local level is what sets Joe apart.

In fact, that unique knowledge provides Joe with insight into which bills will help Alaskans and which bills with hurt Alaskans. With the federal government encroaching quickly into every aspect of our lives - we need Joe in the U.S. Senate to help Congress make the correct decisions to bring Washington back to the limited role envisioned by the Founding Founders. There is no doubt that Joe will work to help restore Constitutional limits on Federal power." DR-A-A-A-A-M-A @cbellantoni: Dino Rossi announces Tom Coburn is backing his candidacy. Reminder, Sarah Palin supports Clint Didier. GOP DISSOCIATING ITSELF WITH 14TH AMENDMENT - We've all had that conversation -- the "yeah, if I were alive during the Civil War era I would be a Republican" talk. It's a position taken by progressively-inclined middle schoolers everywhere -- a rite of passage meant to absolve oneself of partisanship and to demonstrate one's racial sensitivity. Of course we'd all be Republicans in the 1860s and 1870s.

Sure, they held a lot of disgusting beliefs but it was better than the alternative and we wouldn't want to throw away our vote during that volatile period... we'd be savvy 19th-century political operators. Lincoln was a Republican! They opposed slavery! They modernized the Constitution! They popularized mutton chops! Turns out there is a group of people who appear uneasy with the Reconstruction-era GOP: Republicans. Sam Stein notes that New Hampshire Senate candidate Kelly Ayotte is now the fourth Republican Senate candidate to voice concerns over the amendment which grants citizenship to anyone born in the United States. Huzzahs are in order for a number of Steny Hoyer staffers. From a release: "Hoyer has promoted Katie Grant to Communications Director, hired Daniel Reilly as Press Secretary, promoted Maureen Beach to Deputy Press Secretary, and hired Mariel Saez as Press Assistant." Requests for lighthearted anecdotes or nifty factoids about the employees in question from Hoyer's office weren't answered. Can gang violence win the morning? Politico's new D.C. local news site, TBD, looks to answer that question. Check it out!.

@mikemadden: Why did NewsChannel 8 sponsor @mikeallen's Playbook on the day Allbritton renamed the channel TBD TV? A rough day at the Portland Press Herald: Levi Johnston is getting his own reality series, TMZ reports. Word is the show will follow Levi to his speaking engagements across the country, where he will implore adolescent boys to refrain from unprotected sex and encourage them to treat women with respect...totally kidding. The show is being filmed in LA and Alaska. Here's your chance to prove wrong the saying that Washington is Hollywood for ugly people. "Transformers 3 will be shooting in DC later this summer, and the city's Office of Motion Picture and Television Development is looking for extras. If you're interested, send a photo of yourself and some other information to movie@taylorroyall.com. They're also interested in your car, and you get bonus points if you've done 'precision driving.'" Awesome DC: JEREMY THE INTERN'S WEATHER REPORT - Tonight: Slight cooling after 7p.m. or so. It should be delightful if anyone is going to see a concert tonight COUGH Counting Crows at Wolf Trap COUGH .

Tomorrow: The heat rises, as you can expect high-90s, approaching 100. It's going to be a brutal day. You know what to do. Thanks, JB! COMFORT FOOD

Question: Pop star Wyclef Jean was a potential but unsuccessful 2010 presidential candidate in which country?
Answer: Haiti