Dakar (dpa) – Rights activists and opposition supporters in Senegal urged President Abdoulaye Wade to pull out of upcoming elections Wednesday, following protests that have so far left at least four dead. Protesters and police clashed in Dakar on Tuesday, when thousands took part in demonstrations against Wade's candidacy in the February 26 vote. One protester, a 32-year-old university student, was killed when he was hit by a police vehicle. Others sustained injuries when police tried to break up demonstrations, government sources told dpa. President Abdoulaye Wade has been cleared by Senegal's courts to run for a third term in office, despite the two-term limit stipulated in the country's constitution. Wade, who is 85, argues that the term limit does not apply to him because he came to power in 2000, one year before the constitutional change was introduced. But many Senegalese see his reluctance to leave office as a blow to the kind of democracy that the president says he stands for. “The only solution for peace now in Senegal is for Wade to go,” said Alassane Djibril, a rights activist. “Otherwise, things will only get worse. This is not democracy,” he said. “Why doesn't he learn from the mistakes of other leaders, like (Ivory Coast's Laurent) Gbagbo and (Libya's Moamer) Gaddafi?” said musician Adama Gaye. “If Wade doesn't go soon, he will have more blood on his hands. The resistance is stronger than he thinks.” Demonstrators burned tyres late into the night Tuesday and there were reports of police firing tear gas in several parts of the capital, Dakar. “Wade is walking on corpses to stay in power,” ran the headline in Wednesday's edition of the La Tribune newspaper. Two protesters were killed in northern Senegal earlier this week and a police officer died in clashes last week. Despite repeated appeals from opposition groups against Wade's re-election bid on legal grounds, Senegal's courts continue to allow his candidacy. They have also blocked music legend Youssou N'dour from standing in the vote, on the grounds that some of the signatures listed on his candidacy application could not be verified. BM ShortURL: http://goo.gl/09Qn3 Tags: Activists, Elections, President, Senegal Section: Latest News, West Africa
