Senegal prepares for elections as protests continue against the incumbent President

This weekend, Senegal is holding presidential elections.  But some are concerned about rising tensions, following months of protests, violence and several deaths. Thousands demonstrated today to express their opposition to incumbent President, Abdoulaye Wade, standing for a third term:

“President Wade was supposed to be just a referee and he is not supposed to run for the third time. We got to make sure that he’s not going to win this election, otherwise he is going to steal it.”

That was Mahtar Fall from the rap group, “Y’en Marre” or “Enough is Enough,” protesting at a rally in Dakar.  Today is the final day of campaigning for the 14 presidential candidates.  Some of them say that Wade is trying to rig the elections, but Senegal’s Constitutional Council says the president is not bound by a two-term limit because his first term began before the rule was introduced.  The US and the EU have also expressed concerns about Wade’s candidacy.   FSRN’s Alpha Jallow is in Dakar.