Exiled opposition figure, Karim Wade, contests Senegal's presidential election

Karim Wade, the exiled Senegalese opposition figure and son of former President Abdoulaye Wade, has officially thrown his hat into the ring for the upcoming presidential elections scheduled for February 25.

The announcement comes despite lingering doubts surrounding his candidacy, stemming from a corruption conviction in 2015, just three years after the incumbent President Macky Sall assumed office.

Wade’s Democratic Party had earlier designated him as its candidate, but skepticism persisted due to his incarceration.

President Sall, however, granted him a pardon in 2016, leading to Wade’s current residence in exile in Qatar.

Breaking the news on X, formerly known as Twitter, Wade expressed his happiness in declaring his official candidacy.

His criminal record had barred him from participating in the 2019 elections, which ultimately saw President Sall secure his re-election.

Nevertheless, a significant political development unfolded in August when the parliament voted to reinstate the eligibility of both Karim Wade and another opposition figure, former Dakar mayor Khalifa Sall.

President Sall initiated a political dialogue that, although boycotted by several opposition groups, paved the way for the reinstatement of their political rights.

Khalifa Sall, unrelated to the president but similarly entangled in legal troubles, had been imprisoned in 2017 and sentenced to five years for fraud.

Like Karim Wade, he received a pardon in 2019, enabling his release. The political landscape has since witnessed a surge in diverse candidates vying for the nation’s top office, with over 200 individuals filing their candidacy papers to compete in the upcoming presidential election.

As Senegal braces for a fiercely contested political battle, Karim Wade’s unexpected candidacy adds an intriguing dimension to the unfolding narrative.