Wyclef Jean in hiding - but from enemies or the press?

The presidential ambitions of rap artist Wyclef Jean are not going well. He is waiting to hear whether Haiti's residency rules will allow him to stand in the presidential election, and, while he waits, he's in hiding, apparently fearing for his life.

He won't say exactly who has threatened him or why. Some more cynical observers believe it might be a ruse.

What with the uncertainly over his legitimacy as a candidate, and with accusations in the New York Times that his charity has failed to deliver water to earthquake survivors, he might have decided that running Haiti is not such a smart idea after all.

The 40-year-old rapper may not have made it into Forbes.com's Hip-Hop Top 20 posted yesterday, but life in New York City will still be a lot more comfortable than trying to govern this notoriously corrupt country where more than a million people are still homeless following the January 12 earthquake.

The residency question should be answered this week. The rules apparently state that candidates must have their "habitual residence" in Haiti and have resided in the country for at least five consecutive years before election day.

Jean was born in Croix-des-Bouquets, a suburb of Port-au-Prince, but left for the States with his family when he was only nine, making only occasional visits in the intervening 30 years.

However, he argues that his appointment in 2007 as a roving ambassador for Haiti by President Rene Preval exempts him from the residency requirements.

In an email to the Associated Press, Jean said: "We await the CEP [electoral commission] decision but the laws of the Haitian constitution must be respected."

If Jean's candidacy is accepted, he will likely be one of 34 standing in the November election. His high profile gives him the chance to do well - though he will be competing with some serious local muscle, including outgoing President Preval's chosen heir, Jude Celestin, head of the state construction outfit, CNE.

Also, Jean continues to be dogged by allegations of false accounting and mismanagement at his charity, Yele Haiti.

The latest charges come from the New York Times. A report last week presented evidence that the charity has failed to deliver water - as it had claimed - to several of the tented camps where the quake survivors live.

One camp leader, Ricardo Dorvelus, said they had received nothing from Yele Haiti - "Not even a cookie!" ·