Presidential politics in Senegal is in full swing now that President Abdoulaye Wade’s party made official his controversial bid for a third term in the February elections. The announcement has re-ignited a six-month-old opposition movement.
President Wade’s Senegalese Democratic Party [PDS] chose a controversial date to announce a controversial decision. The party confirmed that the president is its candidate for the February 26 election at a rally on Friday, which is the six-month anniversary of one of his biggest political defeats. It was on June 23 – in the face of protests and riots – that Wade was forced to withdraw a proposed constitutional referendum to make it easier for him to win the upcoming election in the first round.
… Political opponents say Wade’s candidacy is unconstitutional because it violates the 2001 amendment he signed setting a two-term limit for the president. He reaffirmed his commitment to abide by the term limits when he won re-election in 2007. He said that he locked the number of terms, so it is not possible for him to run for a third term. But now Wade argues that the limit does not apply to him retroactively.
Minister of Communication Abdourahim Agne said the matter will be resolved next month by the Constitutional Council. The council is a group of jurists appointed by the president.
Full Article: Presidential Politics Gear Up in Senegal | West Africa | English.