Senegal opposition selects on-trial Wade as presidential candidate
Reuters
Published Mar 21, 2015 04:06PM ET
Senegal opposition selects on-trial Wade as presidential candidate
DAKAR (Reuters) - Senegal's main opposition party on Saturday chose Karim Wade as its candidate at the next presidential election, even though a court is about to rule on corruption charges that could put him behind bars for seven years.
Wade was a powerful minister when his father, Abdoulaye Wade, was president. The decision by the Senegalese Democratic Party congress raises the stakes ahead of the verdict, expected on Monday, where the prosecution is seeking a seven-year sentence.
Wade, who has been in detention since April 2013, won 257 votes of 268 cast at a party congress, although the next election is not due until 2017.
"The fact of choosing Karim Wade is just a way of trying to have an impact on the (court) verdict," political analyst Babacar Justin Ndiaye said.
Abdoulaye Wade ruled the West African state from 2000 to 2012 before Macky Sall defeated him in a hotly-contested election. Sall said on Tuesday he would not tolerate trouble in Senegal, which has established itself as one of Africa's most stable democracies.
Get The News You Want
Written By: Reuters
Trading in financial instruments and/or cryptocurrencies involves high risks including the risk of losing some, or all, of your investment amount, and may not be suitable for all investors. Prices of cryptocurrencies are extremely volatile and may be affected by external factors such as financial, regulatory or political events. Trading on margin increases the financial risks.
Before deciding to trade in financial instrument or cryptocurrencies you should be fully informed of the risks and costs associated with trading the financial markets, carefully consider your investment objectives, level of experience, and risk appetite, and seek professional advice where needed.
Fusion Media would like to remind you that the data contained in this website is not necessarily real-time nor accurate. The data and prices on the website are not necessarily provided by any market or exchange, but may be provided by market makers, and so prices may not be accurate and may differ from the actual price at any given market, meaning prices are indicative and not appropriate for trading purposes. Fusion Media and any provider of the data contained in this website will not accept liability for any loss or damage as a result of your trading, or your reliance on the information contained within this website.
It is prohibited to use, store, reproduce, display, modify, transmit or distribute the data contained in this website without the explicit prior written permission of Fusion Media and/or the data provider. All intellectual property rights are reserved by the providers and/or the exchange providing the data contained in this website.
Fusion Media may be compensated by the advertisers that appear on the website, based on your interaction with the advertisements or advertisers.