(CNN) -- Senegal's octogenarian incumbent president is seeking a third term Sunday, a bid that has sparked deadly protests and threatened the nation's reputation as one of the most stable democracies in Africa. 

The incumbent 

Abdoulaye Wade, 85, came to power in 2000 after multiple unsuccessful runs. One of the continent's oldest leaders, the French-trained lawyer also has a degree in economics. He is seeking a third term against a crowded field of 13 others, including two women. 

He was initially credited with boosting the nation's infrastructure, but his critics have accused him of autocracy and said he is grooming his son to take over after him. 

Others have accused the leader of grandiose investments, including a costly towering monument near the capital of Dakar that sparked criticism in a country where poverty is still rife. 

Other contenders include Ousmane Tanor Dieng, Moustapha Niasse and Macky Sall, the latter of whom considered Wade a mentor. 

Why are protesters against his run? 

Senegalese protesters have taken to the streets nationwide since Wade won a court bid to run for a third term despite a constitutional limit mandating two terms. Wade successfully argued that he is exempt because he took office before the term limit was put in place. 

Wade is among a list of elderly leaders clinging to power in sub-Saharan Africa despite demands for them to step down. Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe used his recent 88th birthday to lash out at critics and vowed to run for re-election. 

The opposition has said it will protest if Wade wins, but analysts say a lack of cohesion among foes and a system that favors the incumbent make it harder to unseat Wade, who is nicknamed the "hare" for his shrewd politics. 
Why not?
his critics have accused him of autocracy and said he is grooming his son to take over after him