Wade was born in Kébémer, Senegal; officially, he was born in 1926, although some claim he was born several years earlier, and the record-keeping of the time is not considered particularly reliable. He studied and taught law at

Following his defeat in the presidential election, Wade remained at the helm of the PDS, even as a number of the party's key figures abandoned it. He

Wade's presidency was marred by allegations of corruption, nepotism and constraints on freedom of the press and other civil liberties.
He was also criticized for excessive spending on what have been described as "prestige projects". This

At a summit of the Organization of African Unity in Mogadishu in 1974, Wade told President Léopold Sédar Senghor that he wanted to start a new party, and Senghor agreed to this. The PDS was founded on 31 July 1974. The party—initially intended as a Labour party—adopte

Abdoulaye Wade was internationally praised for his handling of the 2012 presidential election. In the aftermath of his defeat, Wade

Wade is married to Viviane Wade. Their son, Karim Wade, served as head of the national agency of the Islamic Organization Conference and subsequently was Minister of State for International Cooperation, Urban and Regional Planning, Air