Politics Elections Wyclef Jean Will Not Be Haiti's Next President The musician is out of the running for living in New Jersey and not on the island By Stephen M. Silverman Stephen M. Silverman Stephen M. Silverman is the former founding editor of PEOPLE.com. He left PEOPLE in 2015. People Editorial Guidelines Published on August 20, 2010 11:00AM EDT Photo: Dennis Van Tine/Abaca The hat Wyclef Jean had tossed into the political ring has been tossed back. The Haiti-born singer-songwriter did not make the final list of approved candidates who satisfy legal requirements to run in his native country’s presidential election, an electoral official tells the Los Angeles Times. The main reason is that Jean, 39, lives primarily in New Jersey – and not on the Caribbean island. “He is not on the list as I speak,” said the official, whose identity was not revealed. Wyclef Jean and Sean Penn Exchange War of Words Over Haiti Presidential Run Jean had left Haiti at the age of 9, for Brooklyn, N.Y. One of 34 hopefuls in Haiti’s Nov. 28 election, Jean and his potential candidacy brought some much-needed excitement to the island, which on Jan. 12 was ravaged by a devastating earthquake. So far, there has been no comment from the musician. Close