Senegal: Opposition question president’s mental state

Following violent demonstrations sparked by controversial statement uttered by President Abdoulie Wade, some opposition politicans have accused the Senegalese leader of suffering from ‘Senilinity’.  The heads of a coalition of the country’s major opposition political parties argued that the octogenarian head of state is unfit to rule the country. They are calling on the relevant institutons in the country to make a finding on the president state of mind. The conference of leaders of the coalition called ‘Bennoo Siggil Senegaal’, which regularly meets weekly, convened a special meeting on Thursday December 29, 2009, in response to the inflamatroy comment by the Senegalese leader which sparked a violent demonstration by the Christian youth. The opposition leaders said that the president has become more or less a public danger. “What happens in this country is extremely serious. President Wade is in an attempt to divide us religiously. Wade’s philosophy is to delude us. We do not accept it. Wade is a danger for Senegal,” stated an opposition spokesperson, Yoro Ba, at the end of their meeting on Thursday. The opposition leaders backed their claims with a recent incident when the president denied ever knowing a close former right hand man of his, ”and now he claims that he did not make the remark which sparked the latest violence. There is a problem of senile dementia. It is important that institutions of this country make a finding of disability and assertain if Wade should continue to lead this country. “