Singer Wyclef Jean expected to run for president of Haiti

PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti — Singer Wyclef Jean plans to run for president of earthquake-ravaged Haiti and will announce his candidacy in the coming days, a former parliament leader and the entertainer's brother said Tuesday.

Former Chamber of Deputies leader Pierre Eric Jean-Jacques told the Associated Press the Haiti-born hip hop artist and former Fugees frontman will run as part of his coalition in the Nov. 28 election.

After AP first reported the story, Jean's brother, Samuel Jean, confirmed that the singer would announce his intentions in a televised interview from Haiti on Thursday after filing required documents with the electoral council.

"We all believe he meets the constitutional requirements and he can do it," the brother said by phone from his consulting office in Los Angeles.

Jean's spokeswoman, Cindy Tanenbaum, said the entertainer planned an announcement Thursday but that she did not know specifics. She added that Jean was preparing a political communications team.

Dozens of candidates are expected to compete for the presidency in the Nov. 28 contest, among them Jean's uncle Raymond Joseph, who is Haiti's ambassador in Washington.