The singer was shot while campaigning for Michel Martelly, one of the candidates for Sunday's runoff election [AFP]

Wyclef Jean, the American singer and music producer, has been shot in the Haitian capital while campaigning for a presidential candidate Michel Martelly.

The 41-year-old former member of music group The Fugees was in a stable condition in hospital in Port-au-Prince on Sunday, being treated for a bullet wound to his right hand.

His management declared via Twitter: "We have spoken to Wyclef, he is ok. Thank you for your thoughts and prayers."

Following last year's tragic earthquake, the hip-hop sensation declared he would stand for president, only to be told he was inelegible. Instead he returned to Haiti to campaign for Michel Martelly.

The shooting comes as polls open for a presidential run-off on the Caribbean island.

On Sunday Haiti's 4.7 million voters will choose between a political newcomer, entertainer and singer Martelly, 50, and former first lady Mirlande Manigat, 70, a law professor and opposition matriarch.

It follows a chaotic first round vote on November 28 that dissolved into fraud allegations and unrest.

The United Nations, which is supporting the election, says voting improvements have been made that should better ensure a clear, credible outcome in one of the world's poorest and most disaster-prone states.