Senegal goes to the polls for a controversial presidential election that should have seen world music star Youssou N'Dour as a serious contender for the position.
Abdoulaye Wade is seeking a third term in office, and there were violent scenes in the country, one of Africa's most peaceful nations, when the country's top legal body allowed his candidacy to go forward but turned down the candidacy of Youssou N'Dour, saying that N'Dour lacked the necessary 10,000 signatures of support.
Wade wants a third term despite the constitution limiting the terms a president can serve to two. However, his argument was that the law that set this limit came into effect after he first came to power in 2000.
Opposition parties have vowed to make the country ungovernable, raising the spectre of further unrest.
I've heard Senegal described as the most musical country of the most musical continent on earth.
Whatever the outcome of the vote, hopefully Senegal will continue to be a source of inspiration and one of the high water marks of African culture.
No comments:
Post a Comment