A figure in Senegalese politics, Karim Wade, on Friday March 22 called on his compatriots to vote for anti-system candidate Bassirou Diomaye Faye in Sunday’s presidential election, providing him with potentially significant last-minute support. On the social network to the coalition” by Bassirou Diomaye Faye.
The choice of Karim Wade was carefully scrutinized. Son of Abdoulaye Wade, he was the candidate of the PDS, formerly in power and which retains influence. Opinions differ on the impact of his decision given the erosion of the PDS and the dissensions within it.
Karim Wade was himself disqualified from the presidential election by the Constitutional Council in January because he still had dual French-Senegalese nationality at the time of submitting his application, while the Constitution requires strictly Senegalese nationality to be a candidate. Karim Wade accused the candidate of the presidential camp, former Prime Minister Amadou Ba, of having corrupted two judges of the Constitutional Council to have him eliminated, which Amadou Ba denies.
“I invite all of you, PDS activists and leaders, allies of the Karim 2024 coalition and committed citizens, to mobilize to help candidate Diomaye Faye win,” said Karim Wade on the social network the road to the electoral coup orchestrated by Amadou Ba”, whom he accuses of having a “massive fraud plan” to win the election in the first round. He calls on his party to “work closely” with the coalition of Bassirou Diomaye Faye, the candidate of the African Patriots of Senegal for Work, Ethics and Fraternity (Pastef), the dissolved party of opponent Ousmane Sonko.
Karim Wade’s reservoir of votes is coveted. Amadou Ba called on him this week to rule in his favor. The protest raised by Karim Wade against his disqualification was one of the reasons given by the outgoing president, Macky Sall, to decree a postponement of the presidential election in February, which caused a serious political crisis which left two dead.
