Re: USA Africa Dialogue Series - Re: Senegal: Run-off

Big 'if' Cornelius, though it ought to seem like a no-brainer for the opposition. I'm not sure how the turnout issue will work. I would have thought it should work against Wade, given that some opposition parties said they were boycotting the poll, but I've just heard someone on the radio saying that Wade was hoping for a bigger turnout ...

Ayo
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On 1 Mar 2012, at 12:37, Cornelius Hamelberg <corneliushamelberg@gmail.com> wrote:

> Wade loses,
> it's a foregone conclusion
> if the 13 other opposition candidates
> unite as one,
> to get him out of the race
> nota bene:
> and that would be no disgrace.
>
> On Mar 1, 4:43 am, Toyin Falola <toyin.fal...@mail.utexas.edu> wrote:
>> AFRICA
>>
>> 29 February 2012 Last updated at 18:43 ET
>> Senegal presidential poll results confirm run-off
>> Senegal is to hold a second round of presidential
>> elections after incumbent Abdoulaye Wade failed
>> to win outright, election officials have
>> confirmed.
>> Mr Wade gained 34.8% of the vote in Sunday's first round.
>> He faces a run-off next month against his former
>> prime minister, Macky Sall, who came second with
>> 26.5%.
>> Mr Sall urged the opposition to rally behind him
>> against Mr Wade, who has been in power since 2000
>> and is seeking a controversial third term.
>> "I'm sure the desire for change of the Senegalese
>> people will give me the victory in the second
>> round," Mr Sall said at a press conference after
>> the results were announced.
>> Mr Sall promised that if elected, he would
>> shorten the presidential term to five years from
>> the current seven, and enforce a two-term limit.
>> He also promised to bring in measures to reduce the price of basic foodstuffs.
>> Analysts say Mr Wade is likely to struggle in the second round.
>> His bid for a third consecutive term has sparked
>> weeks of violent protests in recent months,
>> leading to about six deaths, although polling on
>> Sunday was largely peaceful.
>> The second round is expected on 18 March.
>> On Tuesday, Mr Wade's admitted he had failed to
>> win more than 50% in the first round.
>> He also said that he would be opening talks with
>> opposition candidates ahead of the run-off.
>> The president was booed as he cast his vote on
>> Sunday in the capital, Dakar - and he lost in his
>> own constituency.
>> Senegal's constitutional court ruled in January
>> that Mr Wade could stand again on the grounds
>> that his first term had not counted since it
>> began before the two-term limit was introduced in
>> 2001.
>> Senegal, a former French colony, is seen as a
>> stable democracy with an unbroken series of
>> elections since independence in 1960.
>> It remains the only West African country where the army has never seized power.
>>
>> More Africa stories
>> ANC youth leader Malema expelled
>> South Africa's governing ANC expels its
>> controversial youth leader Julius Malema after he
>> was found guilty of fomenting divisions in the
>> party.
>> '7/7 widow' link to Kenya terror probe
>> Row erupts over towing Costa ship
>>
>> BBC © 2012 The BBC is not responsible for the
>> content of external sites. Read more.
>> --
>> Toyin Falola
>> Department of History
>> The University of Texas at Austin
>> 1 University Station
>> Austin, TX 78712-0220
>> USA
>> 512 475 7224
>> 512 475 7222 (fax)http://www.toyinfalola.com/www.utexas.edu/conferences/africahttp://groups.google.com/group/yorubaaffairshttp://groups.google.com/group/USAAfricaDialogue
>
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