By Jonathan M. Katz
Singer Wyclef Jean is considering a run for president of Haiti
but has not decided whether to seek a five-year term as leader of
the quake-ravaged nation, the musician's family said Monday.

There have been rumours for some time the Haitian-born
entertainer might enter the 2010 presidential contest, ever since
his 2007 appointment as ambassador-at-large for the Caribbean
nation by President Rene Preval, who cannot seek re-election.

In a statement e-mailed to reporters, the family said, "Wyclef's
commitment to his homeland and its youth is boundless, and he will
remain its greatest supporter regardless of whether he is part of
the government moving forward ... If and when a decision is made,
media will be alerted immediately."
The letter was signed "The Jean Family." A spokeswoman for the
musician confirmed the message's authenticity.

Jean, 37, was born on the outskirts of Port-au-Prince but left
the hemisphere's poorest country as a child and grew up in New York
City's borough of Brooklyn.

He told The Associated Press in a recent interview he intended
to be involved in the Nov. 28 election, but not necessarily as a
candidate.

"Do I have political intentions? At this time no. But what I do
have is a movement - it's called Face a Face, 'Face to Face'," Jean
said. "The youth population ... we are going to encourage them to
vote."
The singer has been active in recent years in raising money
through his Yele Haiti Foundation. The organization was widely
criticized for alleged financial irregularities after the Jan. 12
quake, when scrutiny revealed it had paid Jean to perform at
fundraising events and bought advertising air time from a
television station he co-owns.

The organization hired a new accounting firm after the
allegations surfaced.

Jean, who said he voted for Preval in 2006, would not have an
easy road as a candidate. Haitian elections are contentious and
often violent.

Dozens of candidates are expected to declare themselves by the
Aug. 7 deadline. Preval's opponents have threatened to block the
Nov. 28 vote if he does not replace the presidentially approved
electoral council, which he has refused to do.

To enter the race, Jean would have to prove he has resided in
Haiti for five consecutive years, own property in the country and
have never been a citizen of any country other than Haiti.

Whoever wins will face the gargantuan task of rebuilding a
country devastated by the Jan. 12 earthquake. Haiti has not had a
functioning economy in decades and its presidents have only rarely
completed a constitutional five-year term - more typically being
overthrown, getting assassinated, declaring themselves
"president-for-life" or some combination of the three.