Abdoulaye Wade, former President of the Republic of Senegal from 2000 to 2012, has just turned 95. Born on 29 May 1926 in Kébémer, the founder of the Senegalese Democratic Party (PDS) has marked Senegal’s political history through his constant commitment, his opposition to the regime of Abdou Diouf from 1980 to 2000 as well as the blue march that he initiated until his accession to power. Since he lost the elections in 2012, replaced by his former minister Macky Sall, the pope of Sopi (change in Wolof) lives in the commune of Versailles, chief town of the department of Yvelines in the Île-de-France region. Ze-Africanews wishes a happy birthday to Abdoulaye Wade and takes the opportunity to zoom in on the career of this outstanding politician who has made the Senegalese political ring vibrate for more than three decades.  

Abdoulaye Wade, who is affectionately called “Mame Boye” (grandfather in Wolof) by the Senegalese, has just turned 95. It celebrates its birthday this Saturday, May 29, 2021. The biggest opponent in Senegal’s political history has remained constant in its ideas, convictions and positions, especially in relation to the management of the country by the Socialist Party from 1960 to 2000. Six times candidate in the presidential election in Senegal (1978, 1983, 1988, 1993, 2000 and 2007), Abdoulaye Wade managed to gain the confidence of Senegalese in 2000 with notably his famous “blue march” initiated with the opposition.

After receiving his doctorate in Law and Economics from the University of Grenoble in 1959, the Pope of Sopi was a lawyer to the President of the Council, Mamadou Dia, in May 1963. The latter and four other ministers, Valdiodio N’diaye, Ibrahima Sarr, Joseph Mbae and Alioune Tall, were accused by the then President of the Republic, Leopold Sedar Senghor, of attempted coup d’état. Abdoulaye Wade and Robert Badinter defended themselves.

In 1974, Abdoulaye Wade formed the Senegalese Democratic Party (PDS) and ran unsuccessfully four times in the presidential election (1978, 1983, 1988, 1993). From April 1991 to October 1992, he was Minister of State to the President of the Republic of Senegal Abdou Diouf in the Government of National Unity. From 1995 to 1997, he was Minister of State to the President of the Republic of Senegal in the government of Habib Thiam.

However, on 15 May 1993, Abdoulaye Wade and three other members of the PDS were arrested and accused of being behind the murder of Me Babacar Sèye, Vice-President of the Constitutional Council charged at the time of the proclamation of the results of the legislative elections of February 1993. But they were quickly released (three days later), due to lack of evidence.

With the support of all opposition forces, Abdoulaye Wade was brought to the head of Senegal in the 2000 presidential election with 58.1% in the second round of the election ending forty years of socialist power in Senegal. When he came to power, he helped boost the Senegalese economy and lower inflation. He was re-elected in the first round of the presidential election on 25th February 2007 against fourteen candidates, with 55.79% of the vote. During his two terms, he launched the construction of several thousand schools, increasing the number of colleges from 220 in 2000 to 749, and the number of high schools from 48 to 134 over the same period. In 12 years, the education budget has quadrupled. As part of the modernization of the country, it launches major works such as the corniche in Dakar and its luxury hotels, the redevelopment of the port of Dakar, the construction of the international airport Blaise Diagne and the highway, the development of the secondary road network and the electrification of the countryside.

But his reign began to crumble when he poured into purely political calculations for his succession. In 2011, he proposed a change in the presidential election to allow the election of a “ticket” (president and vice-president) to head the executive with only 25% of the votes in the first round. Abdoulaye Wade is systematically suspected of seeking to remain in power and to assign the post of vice-president to his son Karim Wade who would automatically succeed him if he left the head of the country. Violent demonstrations then broke out mainly in the capital Dakar, which forced Abdoulaye Wade to abandon his project on 23 June. 

Abdoulaye Wade, who said he had locked down the Constitution and limited the number of terms to two, ran for the third time in the 2012 presidential election, a candidacy strongly contested by the opposition but validated by the Constitutional Council on 27 January 2012. He lost the elections in the second round ahead of Macky Sall on 25 March 2012 with respectively 34.20% of the vote against 65.80%. He surrendered the chair to his successor on April 2, 2012.

While the Pope of Sopi celebrates his 95th birthday this Saturday, May 29, 2021, his son, Karim Wade, condemned by the Court of Repression of Illicit Enrichment in 2014, was pardoned in 2016 and still lives in Qatar but continues to be present in the political news of the country.