When Wyclef Jean announced his candidacy for the Haitian Presidency in August, fans and political pundits alike weighed the advantages of having a philanthropic celebrity governing a nation. With the election looming on November 28th, and Haiti still reeling from January’s earthquake and recent cholera epidemic, Jean was forced to leave that position to the professionals. Instead, Jean hopes to aid in the nation’s rebirth with a six-song EP called If I Were President: My Haitian Experience.

News of The EP — which will see a digital release on December 7th — also marks the beginning of a busy new year for Jean, who had announced plans for a full-length, and is now planning “The Haitian Experience Tour” for 2011.  According to Jean, If I Were President (which he produced alongside brother Sedeck Jean) “is the continuation of my music and it represents both sides of life: love and hate, war and peace. It’s for all my fans. It’s for those who love me for ‘Gone ‘Til November’ and ‘Hips Don’t Lie’, too.”

The album’s first single, “Election Time”, serves as a call to action for the youth of Haiti. Inspired by both Pink Floyd’s “Another Brick in the Wall” and Fela Kuti, Jean has the lofty goal of energizing the nation’s voice: “I want to tell the youth of Haiti to go out and vote,” he said in a press release. “It’s not a Haitian right to vote that we are talking about. We are talking about a world right. Take your right. Your true weapon is your voting card. Use your weapon and use it wisely.”

To help solidify the message with international youth, Jean will be releasing the track’s music video the week of November 14th. Co-directed by fellow Haitian Steve Halloun, the video was intentionally philanthropic, helping create jobs for local residents. Listen to the track below, and start your count down for the video’s release.

Check Out:
“Election Time”