JANUARY 30, 2012
Youssou N'Dour Candidacy Denied
Senegalese Constitutional Court Blocks N'Dour's Run For President
Last night Senegal's Constitutional Court affirmed its Friday ruling that the Presidential candidacy of superstar musician Youssou N'Dour and two other contenders were invalid. The court also confirmed that current President Abdoulaye Wade is eligible to run for a controversial third term in the February election - decisions which sparked massive civil unrest in parts of Dakar and other cities over the weekend, according to AP reports.
N'dour's candidacy was thrown out by Senegal's Constitutional Court on Friday on grounds that the signatures he had collected to support his run for President could not be verified. N'dour and his supporters appealed the ruling on Saturday, but the Court affirmed it's decision late last night.
In response, N'dour called the ruling a "coup d'etat" and claimed that the Wade government was "afraid" of his candidacy, in a speech on his own television network,
"The constitutional coup d'etat has been completed," N'dour said. "Fifty-two years of democratic constitution has just been swept away..... We have been betrayed by this shameful decision."
"The time for talking is ended - it's time to act. "What is the act - it is to show these people that the power was scared, and I weigh my words carefully. The Senegalese have witnessed all these attacks that have happened since I announced my candidature, which proves that he is afraid of me. I woke up the Senegalese and the people who are behind me are determined that they will not accept the seizure of power."
Meanwhile, the decision of the Court to allow the 85 year old Wade to stand for a third term sparked protests and violent clashes with police in the capital and other Senegalese cities, including Mbour and Thies, over the weekend. Police fired tear gas and protesters hurled rocks and set car tires alight in central Dakar. As of Monday, the situation in the streets has calmed, but opposition leaders have vowed to "fight" Wade's controversial candidacy, with the opposition group M23 calling for another protest on Tuesday.