Clashes erupt as Senegal's Wade cleared for third term bid

DAKAR (AFP) - Protesters in Senegal clashed with police late Friday after a court approved President Abdoulaye Wade to seek a highly disputed third term, but barred music icon Youssou Ndour from running.

Anti-Wade protesters threw stones at police who responded with batons and tear gas after the much-anticipated ruling was finally handed down. Thousands had gathered for an all-day rally ahead of the decision.

Youths set fire to tyres and engaged in running battles with police in the streets around la Place de l'Obelisque, one of the main squares in Colobane, a working class district of the capital.

An AFP journalist caught up with a group of protesters there was struck in the face by a police baton.

A little earlier, in the more affluent suburb of Almadies, the list of 14 eligible candidates had been posted up on at the office of the Constitutional Council.

They included the names of three ex-prime ministers, Idrissa Seck, Macky Sall and Moustapha Niasse and main opposition leader Ousmane Tanor Dieng.

Ndour, who shocked the music world when he announced earlier in January he was quitting singing for politics, was left off the list.

The five-judge body said Ndour had "produced a list of 12,936 voters supporting his candidacy of which only 8,911 could be identified and their signatures validated". A minimum of 10,000 was needed.

The constitutional row over Wade's ambitions has set one of Africa's most stable democracies on edge, moving the international community to express concern over the potential for violence and to appeal for calm.

The ruling seals months of speculation over the interpretation of the constitution on presidential mandates.

Wade was first elected in 2000 for a seven-year mandate, and re-elected in 2007 under a new constitution for a five-year mandate. In 2008 the constitution was changed again to allow for two seven-year terms from 2012.

Wade argued this allowed him to run again, twice if he so wishes, but the opposition condemned this as illegal.

"I wrote the constitution. Alone. Nobody knows it better than me," Wade said in an interview published on news website Dakaractu on Thursday. "I can even legally stand again in 2019."

Rights activists have warned against a repetition of the violent riots in June last year, and the clashes between rival parties in December that left one person dead.

Amnesty International west Africa researcher Salvatore Sigues warned the "potential for destabilisation is huge.

"Amnesty International calls on political leaders on all sides to ensure that their supporters do not resort to violence," he said in a statement.

"Security forces also have the obligation to act in full respect of human rights."

On Thursday, the 15-nation Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) called for calm and restraint in a statement expressing "serious concern for the rising tensions among political parties and citizens."

As tensions soared, the government on Tuesday announced a ban on protests, running from Thursday to Monday.

But the June 23 Movement (M23) of opposition parties and civil society organisations against Wade's candidature called for "active resistance" against the decree.

After mediation from the European Union, government appeared to have lifted the ban Friday and the protesters went ahead with their demonstration against a "constitutional coup d'etat."

Wade, a veteran opposition figure who dislodged the Socialist Party after 40 years of rule in a 2000 election on his fifth shot at the presidency, has grown increasingly unpopular as he attempts to cling to power.

On criticism that he should not be seeking a third term, especially at his age, Wade said: "I still feel physically and intellectually able to serve my people.

"I cannot stop in midstream... I need three years to complete some major projects that will turn Senegal into an emerging country."

France on Thursday called for elections to be held in "a calm atmosphere and in a transparent manner."

Foreign ministry spokesman Romain Nadal said: "It is up to everyone to prove their responsibility. The future of Senegal is at stake in these elections."

US deputy assistant secretary of state for African affairs, William Fitzgerald, said Monday that Wade's bid to stay in office was "regrettable". Senegal has long been seen as a good example of democracy in Africa, with previous leaders Leopold Sedar Senghor and Abdou Diouf peacefully handing over power, although both served several terms under a previous constitution.