Senegal opposition says stiff election fee 'unfair'

DAKAR (AFP) - Senegalese opposition parties said Thursday the doubling of the fee required to take part in presidential elections was unfair and undemocratic.

The amount of 65 million CFA francs (100,000 euros, $145,000) was declared in a ministerial decree issued on Monday, and is more than double the 25 million CFA francs required in 2007, and nearly 11 times more than the six million which candidates had to pay in 2000.

An election official said the stiff increase was to "discourage those who come mainly to do their personal political marketing", and would be reimbursed to those candidates who obtain at least five percent of the vote.

Ibrahima Sene of the main opposition coalition Benno Siggil Senegal (United to Boost Senegal) said increasing the fee was a scandal, "an anti-democratic, anti-republican measure" which would exclude less well-off candidates.

He said the real problem was the fact that President Abdoulaye Wade, 85, was seeking a controversial third term in office.

Wade was elected for a first seven-year term in 2000 and re-elected for five years in 2007, after a constitutional amendment reduced the term by two years and imposed a limit of two terms.

Wade's backers say the term he served before the amendment does not count.

A campaign dubbed "Fed up" was launched in January to protest Wade's regime, crippling power cuts, corruption and other social ills.

Amsatou Sow Sidibe, the only woman among 20 candidates who have so far announced they will be running in the February 26 poll, said the measure was "unfair" as it came just six months before the polls.

She said Wade himself would have been unable to afford the sum when he came into power in 2000.

Aliou Dia, of the Sopi Alliance Forever (AST) majority coalition supporting Wade said it was normal to demand such a high deposit to "avoid unreliable candidates".