Protests in the capital

Last Thursday there were some riots in the capital outside of the National Assembly. The president of Senegal since 2000, Abdoulaye Wade who recently had his 85^th birthday – proposed a change to the constitution. Currently, to be elected president in the first round of voting, the candidate must receive at least 50% of the votes. If no candidate wins 50% then there is a second round of voting between the two candidates with the most votes.  Wade proposed that a candidate could win with only 25% of the votes and also wanted to introduce the position of Vice President who would replace the president in the case of his death or anything preventing him from performing his job. These changes would make it very easy for Wade to be reelected with his son as VP. Wade is very unpopular but since the opposition is not united it would be possible for Wade to win 25% of the vote in the first round.

In response to this proposition, a large crowd gathered downtown. It was quickly dispersed by tear gas and there was some stone throwing. I believe there were a few deaths and injuries but a couple sources have said that the protest was nonviolent until the police tried to break it up. The president withdrew his proposition that same afternoon.

I was very excited to see that the Senegalese stood up against Wade.  It was also satisfying to see how quickly he withdrew in response to the crowds. For the last 5 years there have been power cuts. Here in Thiès we lose power about three times a day and recently the water pressure has declined. We are only able to take water when we have power so we fill up large bottles every day to last us through the power outages. Other Senegalese I have talked to are also happy about the results of the protest. One of the opposition groups plans to continue until Wade steps down from power. The next elections will be held in 2012.

Senegal has a reputation for being a very stable and peaceful country and the Senegalese are proud of this fact. However, they have been letting Wade steal money from them and buy property and build houses, buy planes and put his son Karim in power without making much protest. The change Wade proposed was the last straw. I’ll certainly be following the news, especially in the upcoming year as elections draw nearer.