Wyclef Jean Shot in Hand Before Haiti Election

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Guillermo Arias / File / AP

The Haitian hip hop artist has been treated and released – but not before he met with violence on the eve of the presidential election.

(UPDATED: March 20, 2011, 3:30 PM EST) As voters hit the polls today, Wyclef  says he’s recovering from a gunshot wound to his hand, in an act of violence that occurred late last night around 11 p.m. local time. He said was stepping out of a car to make a phone call when the shooting occurred in the city of Delmas, a few miles west of Port-au-Prince. “The way I can explain it is that the bullet grazed me in my right hand,” Jean told The Associated Press in a telephone interview. “I heard blow, blow, blow and I just looked at my hand.”

(More on TIME.com: Watch Wyclef discussing his presidential bid)

Wyclef Jean is in his native Haiti campaigning for fellow musician-turned-presidential candidate Michel Martelly, better known as Sweet Mickey. The shooting draws greater attention and scrutiny to an election already wrought with violence, uncertainty and protests.

“It was a minor graze to the hand,” said Cindy Tanenbaum, Wyclef’s spokeswoman. He was reportedly brought to a hospital for treatment and left a short time later. On his Twitter page, a comforting note was posted shortly after the shooting: “We have spoken to Wyclef, he is ok. Thank you for your thoughts and prayers – Management.”

Wyclef himself vied for a place on Haiti’s ballot back in September, but he was forced to drop out of the race after the election council’s ruling that he didn’t meet residency requirements.

(More on TIME.com: Why did Wyclef want to be president?)