After meeting with Haitian President Rene Preval, hip-hop star Wyclef Jean said he feels "we are going to be OK" when a final list for presidential contenders comes out Friday. But there were signs late Thursday that Jean, a presidential hopeful himself, might not make the final cut.
By late Thursday, lawyers for the Provisional Electoral Council had compiled 20 pages of legal documents — including passport records — that they said show Jean is not a Haitian resident.
Sources also told The Herald that Jude Celestin, Preval's pick, and Jacques-EdouardAlexis are expected to be on the list.
But Gaillot Dorsinvil, head of the electoral council, told The Miami Herald "the list does not yet exist. We are still awaiting the decision."
Jean, who said he had been in hiding because of death threats, met with Preval for three hours Thursday at the president's home.
"He was reading on the Internet that I was in hiding," Jean told The Miami Herald moments after leaving what was supposed to be a quiet, discreet meeting. However, he arrived with an entourage.
"He said, me and him are too close. . . he was concerned and asked, do I need security?
"[Preval] said the most important thing for him is that for the first time in history he wants clean elections. He doesn't want to see where candidates are bad-mouthing other candidates."
Jean, 40, declared his candidacy for president of Haiti along with 33 others two weeks ago. But the electoral council is expected to make the final decision Friday. The presidential election is scheduled for Nov. 28.
It has been a wild ride for Jean since he declared his intention to run for president of this quake-battered nation. His candidacy has spurred harsh criticism as well as drawn popular support, especially among Haiti's youth.
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