Wyclef Jean confirms Haiti presidency bid; Pras not endorsing former bandmate

On Thursday (Aug. 5), the international music superstar, known for such hit singles as 'We Trying to Stay Alive' and 'Gone Till November,' has filed papers to run for president of Haiti at the electoral council office in the capital, Port-au-Prince, according to several published reports.

Jean to run for president of Haiti
Several hundred supporters cheered as the Grammy-winning hip-hop star arrived by motorcade at the electoral office for submitting the necessary paperwork to run for the presidency of this earthquake-ravaged nation, The Associated Press reports.

"America has Barack Obama and Haiti has Wyclef Jean," the rap superstar shouted amid cheers from hundreds of supporters.

"It's a moment in time and in history," the singer told the AP. "It's very emotional."

Yet to prove his ability to lead the country
Wyclef, who was born in Haiti but raised in Brooklyn, N.Y., has yet to prove to election officials that he meets the constitutional requirements to be president, including five consecutive years of residency in the country, which was ravaged by a Jan. 12 earthquake that killed more than 220,000 people, destroyed 60 percent of government infrastructure and left more than 180,000 homes uninhabitable.

Also, Oscar-winning actor Sean Penn slammed Wyclef Jean's bid just hours after he declared his intention to run for the president of Haiti, AFP reports.

The 40-year-old former Fugees frontman was born on the outskirts of Port-au-Prince, which is still largely in ruins from the earthquake, but moved to the United States when he was very young.

Wyclef, who may be considered an outsider among Haiti's traditional political elite, must convince voters to trust that he can govern the impoverished country reeling from a devastating earthquake.

Persuading young voters
Seemingly the rapper-turned-politician has already begun to persuade Haitians, especially the youth of the country.

"The entire world is watching us today, I represent all Haitians," he said. "We have to live together, work together to change Haiti, open more schools."

The rapper also encouraged the young voters around him to get voting cards.

"I'm asking you not for money, but your power for change," he added.

The singer also assured his supporters he would bring rap superstar 50 Cent to Haiti.

After the review and verification, an eight-member board will publish the list of official candidates on Aug. 17.

Jean’s vision for Haiti
According to a Wall Street Journal report, Wyclef, who has resigned as chairman of his NGO Yele Haiti, said rebuilding devastated Haiti will take "25 to 30 years."

The rapper said that if elected, his focus will be on issues like education, job creation, and agriculture.

"I'm not a politician," WSJ quoted the singer as saying. "What I'm going to do is be a leader of the youth of Haiti, and the people of Haiti. And the way I'm going to do that is put the right team around me that knows how to govern."

On Thursday, Wyclef appeared on CNN's 'Larry King Live' show to confirm his run for president of Haiti.

"Yes, it's my first time announcing it live -- that today I went in, and I signed, and I am running to be the president of Haiti," he told Wolf Blitzer, who was filling in for the vacationing King on CNN.

Bandmate Pra endorses another hopeful
In related news it has been reported that Wyclef’s former bandmate Pra is not supporting the rapper, instead endorsing Michel Martell as the next president of Haiti.

According to New York Daily News, Wyclef’s fellow Fugees star Pras announced Thursday he's supporting another hopeful.

"I endorse Michel Martell as the next president of Haiti because he is the most competent candidate for the job," Pras said in a statement.

A report by AllHipHop News says Pras took to his Twitter account to expressed himself.

“All Haitians around the world it's going to take all of us to start this reconstruction for Haiti !!! Michel Martelly for president 2010!!!” he tweeted. “It's official the people are asking for it I'm here in the belly of Haiti I endorse Michel Martelly as the next president of Haiti!!!!!”

Penn slams rapper's bid
Also Oscar-winning actor Sean Penn slammed Wyclef Jean's bid just hours after he declared his intention to run for the president of Haiti, AFP reports.

The actor, who has been running a 55,000-person tent camp through the J/P Haitian Relief Organization he co-founded, questioned the motives of the musician and those backing his campaign.

In an interview, Penn told CNN that Jean had been a "non-presence" during efforts to rebuild the state in the months since the disaster.

"He has been virtually silent for those of us in Haiti, he has been a non-presence," said Penn.

"What the Haitian people need now is a leader who's genuinely willing to sacrifice. One reason I don't know very much about Wyclef jean because I haven't seen or heard of him in these last six months that I've been in Haiti,” he said.