Abdoulaye Wade's Legacy

On Monday, Macky Sall was sworn in as Senegal's President, the country's fourth since independence from France in 1960. Sall's election - and former president Abdoulaye Wade's withdrawal - brought a surprisingly good ending to a steadily worsening political drama.
Abdoulaye Wade (pictured) was elected in 2000 by a large margin. A former opposition leader, he was extremely popular among the youth. More than a decade later, Wade was accused of corruption, massive but incomplete building projects, and grooming his son as heir to the presidency.

In 2011, Wade announced his intention to change the constitution to allow for a 3rd term as president (claiming his first term didn't count as part of the constitutional two-term limit) and attempted to change the cut-off for a first round winner from 50% to 25%. The presidential race in Senegal, as in many countries, is composed of two rounds. The first round eliminates all but the top two candidates unless someone has more than 50% of votes. In the second round the remaining two candidates battle for a simple majority. Wade's attempt to change the first-round percentage was countered by violent street protests after which he scrapped the plan. 

Throughout 2011 Senegal's political atmosphere continued to worsen.  Youssou N'Dour, an internationally recognized Senegalese rapper and a favorite candidate, was banned from contesting the presidential race. Worsening street protests resulted in 6 deaths after the Supreme Court ruled that Wade could in fact run for a third term.

President Wade did win the first round of the election, but with 34% he failed to reach the 50% outright-victory mark. Notably he also failed to win his home district in a suburb of Dakar, the capital. Given the authoritarian rhetoric and decisions made in the year leading up to the election, Wade should be given credit for allowing a free and fair first round. All of the eliminated opposition candidates threw their support behind Sall in the second round, ultimately giving him a complete victory with over 65% of the vote. 

Wade has not been very popular in Senegal for the last few years, and he has made some questionable decisions. History should view him differently though. He didn't attempt the use of force to hold on to power, he allowed transparent elections in both the first and second rounds, and he stepped down immediately after losing. (Bonus: he called Sall to personally congratulate him on winning the election.) These are not typical actions for a leader who confidently predicted his own victory and attempted to change the constitution to hold on to power. If Wade is lauded for these actions and not condemned for his mistakes, who knows, other elected officials in both Senegal and other countries may decide to stick to their term limits. Whatever his legacy, Wade has certainly left his mark on Senegal.