A member of Senegal’s ruling party said incumbent President Abdoulaye Wade has embarked on the right strategy that will ensure he emerges victorious in the upcoming election run-off.
Amadou Sall, spokesman for Wade’s re-election campaign, said the 85-year old leader is campaigning in cities and rural areas to ensure victory.
“In the center of our strategy is the citizen, or the voters, and that is why President Wade is going to the villages and in the countryside to meet and talk with people,” said Sall. “But, in the strategy of Macky Sall, he needs all losers and he proposed to have them in a government and he will sign anything with his losers. A man that goes and signs with losers is a loser.”
Sall maintains Wade’s nationwide campaigning effort is a winning strategy ahead of the second round March 25th.
His comments followed the opposition’s rally in the capital, Dakar, Sunday to support main challenger Macky Sall. The parties vowed to defeat Wade.
Some observers say unity among the opposition parties could derail Wade’s controversial third term bid. But, his spokesman dismissed that view.
“We don’t care about that and we don’t fear what they are doing. We are sure the Senegalese people are going to laugh and vote for President Wade,” said Sall. “President Wade is meeting the Senegalese people and meeting some leaders, which is a winning strategy, and we don’t care about what they do at the Obelisk Square, though they have the right rally.”
Opposition candidate Sall served in Wade's government as mining minister, prime minister and president of the National Assembly. He was also Wade's campaign manager in 2007 when the president won re-election in the first round. Wade has referred to Sall as his best student.
Some analysts say an opposition alliance could give the Macky Sall the votes needed to defeat Wade. But, Wade’s campaign spokesman said there are divisions within the rank-and-file of the opposition.
“Someone in the first round can vote for Moustapha Niasse because this guy prefers Moustapha Niasse to Abdoulaye Wade. But, at the second round, Moustapha Niasse is not a candidate and the voter is not a property of Moustapha Niasse,” said Sall. “It’s not because somebody voted for Moustapha Niasse in the first round that the same person will vote for Macky Sall.”
