19 September 2009

The cloud of suspicion hanging over Senegal's President Abdoulaye Wade's third term race settled when he announced on Voice of America (VOA) that he would contest in 2012. Senegal's constitution allows only two terms for a president and Wade is currently serving his second which expires in 2012.
Wade
"I will be a candidate in 2012, if God gives me a long life," Wade said in remarks aired by the Voice of America's French service.

There has been speculation that Wade's 40-year-old son Karim, a government minister, would be the ruling party's presidential candidate in 2012.

But the president’s pronouncement comes to calm agitations for succession within his own party, PDS.

The country’s major opposition parties say the president’s 2012 ambitions are unconstitutional, but Wade insists that “nobody has the right to stop me from contesting. It is left for the Senegalese people to decide who they want. The game shall be open to all.”

Wade, who was elected in 2000, would be 86 in 2012. He was guest of the VOA on the occasion of the signing of a $540 million aid granted to the West African nation by Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC), which took place in New York.

Senegal, according to the MCC officials, was selected because of its strong economic growth potential, good governance and commitment to open markets and long-term investment.

However, critics contend that Wade’s presidency has been marred by corruption, nepotism and constraints on freedom of the press and other civil liberties.

africanews