Presidential election in Senegal: Karim Wade, one more step towards candidacy

Senegalese opponent Karim Wade took an important step towards the 2024 presidential election on Monday by posting the deposit required to run, despite persistent doubts about his candidacy, AFP learned from his party.

Karim Wade , 55 years old, son and former minister of ex-president Abdoulaye Wade (2000-2012), had the deposit of 30 million FCFA (45,000 euros) deposited with the Caisse des Dépôts et Consignations (CDC), Nafissatou Diallo, communications manager for the Democratic Party of Senegal (PDS), told AFP .

The PDS has designated Karim Wade as its candidate for the February 25 presidential election, a designation that it has accepted for a long time.

But questions remain about the legal implications of an old conviction of Mr. Wade, about his ability to return to the country and obtain from the tax authorities the clearance essential for his candidacy.

Karim Wade was sentenced in 2015 to six years in prison for illicit enrichment . Detained for more than three years, he was pardoned in 2016 by President Macky Sall , and has since lived in exile , Qatar being commonly cited as one of his places of residence.

His conviction prevented him from being a candidate in the 2019 presidential election, won by Macky Sall.

The National Assembly voted in August a law making Karim Wade and another opposition figure and former mayor of Dakar, Khalifa Sall , eligible for election, following a political dialogue initiated by President Sall and boycotted by part of the opposition.

Khalifa Sall, who is not related to the president, was convicted in 2018 of forgery and fraud, and sentenced to five years in prison. Imprisoned in 2017, he regained his freedom in 2019 after also benefiting from a presidential pardon .

More than 200 candidates have been declared for the presidential election.