February 23, 2012
Alliance field director for Senegal requests prayer on behalf of the country’s presidential elections that are to take place on Sunday, February 26.
“For a full week there have been riots and manifestations in the streets, protesting the incumbent president’s decision to run for a third term in office,” the FD reports. “The opposition has expressed its determination to prohibit him from running.”
According to the BBC this week, “Opposition and civil society activists claim incumbent President Abdoulaye Wade’s bid for a third term is illegal because the constitution imposes a two-term limit for presidents. However, the Constitutional Council claims “[Wade is] not bound by a two-term limit because his first term began before the rule was introduced.”
Unrest in Senegal threatens the country’s solid record as a model of African democracy.
“Pray for God’s peace in a situation where tensions are running very high,” the FD observes. “Pray for the safety of the people here as well as for our team.”
Learn More
Read about our work in Senegal.
Check out this BBC report: “Senegal Elections: What You Need to Know.” Note: Clicking on this link will take you off of the C&MA Web site.