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Senegalese opposition says president must go
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| Contributor | IndyGeorgia |
| Last Edited | IndyGeorgia Jul 23, 2011 09:26pm |
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| Category | News |
| Author | Rukmini Callimachi |
| Media | Website - Yahoo News |
| News Date | Sunday, July 24, 2011 03:00:00 AM UTC0:0 |
| Description | DAKAR, Senegal (AP) — Senegal's opposition went ahead with a protest Saturday and thousands poured into a square to call for the resignation of the country's octogenarian president after a last-minute change to the venue in order to skirt a ban on demonstrations issued by the Senegalese government.
They amassed at Place de l'Obelisque, just outside Dakar's downtown district, to demand the departure of 85-year-old President Abdoulaye Wade who is attempting to run for a third term. The constitution only allows a president to serve for two terms, and Wade has angered the population of this normally stable country on Africa's western coast by insisting on an interpretation of the electoral code which would allow him to run again in 2012.
The protest marks the one-month anniversary of the violent June 23 demonstration which was the largest in this former French colony in decades. That protest which degenerated into a clash with police emboldened the opposition, raising hopes that an Arab Spring-style democracy movement could spread south to sub-Saharan countries.
"Sometimes the older a person gets, the more immature they become. This old man is acting like a stubborn child," said truck driver Abdoulaye Thiam. He held up a piece of cardboard that said, "Get out of here, Wade, you're 100 years old!" |
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