Thousands Protest Against Senegal President

23 July 2011

VOA

Thousands of Senegalese demonstrators have gathered to protest against President Abdoulaye Wade's bid for a third term. Top opposition leaders, including former Prime Minister Macky Sall, were also on hand Saturday at the demonstration in a public square outside the Dakar city center.

The protest had been originally scheduled downtown, but organizers changed the venue in an attempt to comply with a newly-imposed ban on political rallies outside government buildings and several major squares. Wade's Senegalese Democratic Party has also planned a rally Saturday, outside their headquarters.

The demonstrations come one month after the massive June 23 protests and rioting against chronic power shortages and President Wade's bid to change the constitution. Opponents say the changes were aimed at making it easier for the president to be re-elected and for his son, Karim Wade, to succeed him.

After the massive protests, the 85-year-old leader withdrew the proposed amendments.

But Wade has indicated he still plans to run for re-election, despite a constitutional statute that limits the presidency to two terms. Wade's supporters say he is entitled to run again, because the new constitution was not in effect when he was first elected president in 2000.

Some information for this report was provided by AP, AFP and Reuters.