With uncertainty over Ousmane Sonko's future the 2024 polls are shaping up to be a four-way battle between Seck Khalifa Sall Karim Wade and Prime Minister Amadou Ba who last week was anointed by outgoing President Sall as candidate for the ruling Benno Bokk Yakaar (BBY) party...

Just-concluded National Dialogue talks saw the government accept constitutional changes to permit former Dakar mayor Khalifa Sall and Karim Wade the son of ex-president Abdoulaye Wade to stand...

His son Karim Wade stays in Qatar rather than settle the €210 million fine for his corruption conviction and return home to the campaign trail...

But the 23 January local polls show they now face serious opposition after years of political hegemony aided by court cases that removed two major challengers – Khalifa Sall and Karim Wade – from the field of play (AC Vol 59 No 18 Not lacking convictions)...

In Senegal in 2012 he went head to head with the son of then President Abdoulaye Wade Karim Wade when the latter tried to dislodge Bolloré from his dominant position in the port of Dakar...

For many Senegalese the claims were reminiscent of the legal cases that had removed other prominent opponents Karim Wade and Khalifa Sall from the electoral scene (AC Vol 59 No 17 President plays by his rules & Vol 59 No 18 Not lacking convictions)...

Insiders believe that President Wade's energy minister and son Karim Wade made the original deals with Timis for exploring the offshore blocks and that when Wade lost office Timis had to make new deals with President Sall and his brother...

He has also reached out to Karim Wade...