(FILES) Senegalese President Abdoulaye Wade answers to questions in the congress center at the World Economic Forum in Davos 25 January 2008. The annual Davos gathering of the world's political and business elite opened 23 January 2008. Born on May 29, 1926, the son of a trader, Abdoulaye Wade won a scholarship to study in France, attending the Lycee Condorcet in Paris before continuing his education in Besançon where he met his future French wife, Viviane Vert. They had two children, Karim and Sindiely. Trained in law, economics and applied mathematics, Wade returned to Senegal in 1960, the year of independence. He taught law before opening a legal practice. In 1974, during the single party rule of Léopold Sédar Senghor, he obtained authorization to found the Senegalese Democratic Party (PDS). Under President Abdou Diouf, Wade was arrested and jailed several times. A powerful speaker, he became the country's leading opposition figure, earning the nickname "president of the street". His election in 2000 ended 40 years of Socialist rule, first under Senghor and then Diouf, who conceded defeat reinforcing Senegal's reputation as a democratic model in Africa. Wade was 74 when he finally won the presidency on his fifth attempt. Re elected in 2007 for a five year term, he later amended the constitution to restore a seven year mandate. His presidency saw major infrastructure projects, but he was criticized for failing to step aside peacefully at the end of his rule. Nicknamed "Gorgui" meaning "the elder" in Wolof Wade was praised by supporters as a builder and modernizer, and denounced by critics as authoritarian and prone to political illusion. (Photo by Joël SAGET / AFP via Getty Images)