August 21, 2010

Haiti's constitution rules out a Wyclef Jean presidency.

He's Haitian, but the constitution requires presidential candidates to have lived in the country for the past 5 years.
The musician had argued that his appointment as a roving ambassador for Haiti in 2007 exempted him from the residency requirement.
Apparently, textualism beat out fancier notions of interpretation. No "active liberty" or whatever?

10 comments:

Prosecutorial Indiscretion said...

As if Haiti didn't have enough troubles, now it has to contend with an electoral council that is making Haiti a country in which women would be forced into back-alley abortions, blacks would sit at segregated lunch counters, rogue police could break down citizens' doors in midnight raids, schoolchildren could not be taught about evolution, writers and artists would be censored at the whim of government, and the doors of the courts would be shut on the fingers of millions of citizens for whom the judiciary is often the only protector of the individual rights that are the heart of their democracy.

Unknown said...

As opposed to the Duvaliers and the Tonton Macoute.

In any case, M. Jean shouldn't let any of that stand in his way. When did legalities stop The Zero?

Rialby said...

Does this mean the era where an unqualified celebrity with no relevant experience can rise to lead a country he has no great familiarity with is over? Hoofreakingrah

pm317 said...

Now Haiti is better at enforcing qualifications for the presidency?

NotWhoIUsedtoBe said...

Probably a good thing, but I doubt that Haiti's political class can do much better.

I am very,very sure that Mr. Jean can do more good for Haiti as a private individual than as a President.

No President has ever done Haiti any good at all.

Phil 314 said...

So Haiti not going the Iceland route.

Scott said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Scott said...

Maybe Hatians, having endured the Duvaliers, are more wary of self-styled messiahs than we were in the 2008 elections.

Gahrie said...

He's not going to let a little thing like electoral law stop him is he?

He's needs some Democratic Party officials as advisors..say Frank Lautenberg.....

Scott said...

You mean Frank Luntz?