Senegal media heaps scorn on embattled president

Senegalese President Abdoulaye Wade's address to the nation late Thursday in which he suggests an early election, was shot down as a joke and out of touch with the people in local media. "Wade provides electoral comedy", "Wade, the show and the terror", "Wade misses his exit", "Wade refuses to change" and "False solutions to real problems" were the headlines of all the major private daily newspapers. The pro-government Le Soleil gave a more measured response. Political analysts in L'Observateur likened Wade's speech to that of a "warlord" and compared him to Ivory Coast's former president Laurent Gbagbo. The ousted Ivorian strongman's desperate attempt to cling to power following last year's elections led to a protracted and deadly crisis. The 85-year-old Senegalese leader who came to power in 2000 is facing widespread calls to stop a controversial bid for a third term in office. Wade's Thursday speech was highly anticipated and came three weeks after his regime faced unprecedented riots over his attempts to change election laws, and crippling power cuts. Wade said he might agree to give his critics the early election they want but warned that the result of the next poll was unlikely to be affected by its date: "I am afraid that there will be no winner but me." The Matin newspaper said in its editorial the president "still sees himself as a man adored by his people. He hasn't got the message that the majority of Senegalese are fed up."