Wade's opponents chase the "Hare" in Senegal polls
22 Feb 2007 13:07:31 GMT Source: Reuters
By Diadie Ba DAKAR, Feb 22 (Reuters) - Senegalese President Abdoulaye Wade -- nicknamed the "Hare" by foes for his political guile -- is looking to run away with a first round re-election victory in a presidential poll on Sunday. But his opponents, including several former close allies, are snapping at his heels and have said they will resist any attempt by Wade to fraudulently force through a first-round win in the predominantly Muslim West African state. Heated campaign rhetoric and sporadic clashes between rival supporters have raised fears of more serious political violence which could threaten Senegal's long-standing image as an oasis of peaceful democracy in a turbulent region. At least three people were injured on Wednesday when devotees of an Islamic religious leader who backs Wade attacked a convoy of rival supporters with sticks and stones in a suburb of Dakar, capital of the former French colony. A veteran politician in his eighties, Wade has ruled since 2000 when he broke the rival Socialist Party's 40-year grip on power. He is seeking a second term in the weekend poll to keep his liberal Senegalese Democratic Party (PDS) at the helm. Charismatic but temperamental, Wade has earned the nickname "Njomboor", meaning "hare" in the local Wolof language. In African folklore, the hare symbolises astuteness. Sunday's vote comes at a time when Senegal's international image -- carefully polished abroad by its leaders -- has been tarnished by the drama of thousands of desperate young Senegalese migrants risking their lives to try to reach Europe. While most pundits see incumbent Wade as the frontrunner out of the 15 candidates standing, many also believe he will find it tough to muster the more than 50 percent of votes needed to win outright in the first round. But the octogenarian president and his supporters are radiating confidence. "There will not be a second round because our majority is visible," Wade's campaign manager, Prime Minister Macky Sall, said. Critics argue the electoral coalition and wave of popular support that swept Wade to power in 2000 have evaporated amid discontent over high unemployment and inflation and anger over the repatriation by Spain of Senegalese migrants. Opponents blame Wade's government for signing migration accords with Madrid that allow such repatriations. FEARS OF VIOLENCE They say the sight of boatloads of exhausted, ragged Senegalese washing up on the beaches of the Canary Islands gives the lie to Wade's campaign proclamations that he has boosted public works, created jobs and reduced urban and rural poverty. "It is totally impossible for Wade to win in the first round," Socialist Party candidate Ousmane Tanor Dieng, a leading challenger, told Reuters. Echoing fears voiced by other candidates, Dieng said his party would be on the lookout for any election rigging. "We cannot accept the idea of allowing Wade to distort the will of the Senegalese people," he said. Another leading challenger, former prime minister Moustapha Niasse, once a political ally of Wade, has made similar public warnings, raising fears of political turmoil if the president is proclaimed the victor after Sunday's poll. Another erstwhile ally, ex-premier Idrissa Seck who was sacked by Wade in 2004, is also running against the president. (Additional reporting by Pascal Fletcher)
