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AfricaJanuary 3 2012

Senegal looks to preserve good habits as tense elections loom

Senegal has established itself as one of sub-Saharan Africa’s most sophisticated economies in the past decade. Lacking the natural resources prevalent in many of the continent’s other fast-growing countries, its pillars of growth have been political stability and prudent fiscal management. But next month’s elections will put its credentials to the test.
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Senegal looks to preserve good habits as tense elections loom

Senegal faces perhaps its most fraught presidential elections yet when voters go to the polls on February 26. The west African state has stood out as a bastion of democracy and stable politics in a volatile region for much of the period since its independence from France in 1960.

But concerns about autocracy and corruption have grown recently. In June last year, thousands of protestors took to the streets of Dakar, the capital. The unrest was triggered by proposals from president Abdoulaye Wade to introduce a post of vice-president and reduce the proportion of votes needed to win the election, and thus avoid a run-off, from 50% to 25%. Critics viewed the latter as an attempt by Mr Wade to exploit the presence of numerous opposition parties and feared that the vice-presidential post was being lined up for his son Karim, who many believe is being groomed to succeed his father.

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