( CNN ) -- Senegal 's opposition June 23rd Movement is calling for a mass rally in Dakar on Tuesday to protest a ruling allowing President Abdoulaye Wade to run for a third term as well as to demand the release of dozens of government critics arrested in the wake of weekend rioting that followed the decision . The group is also demanding that Senegal 's highest court , the constitutional council , allow three independent candidates , including Grammy-winning musician Youssou N'Dour , to seek the presidency of the West African nation , spokesman Amath Dansokho said Monday . The court rejected their candidacies on Friday in the same ruling that granted Wade and 13 others spots on the February ballot . The court ruled that the candidates -- N'dour , Abdourahmane Sarr and KÃ©ba Keinde -- failed to gather 10,000 valid signatures . The court ruled Wade could stand for re-election despite a provision in the country 's 2001 constitution that limits the president to two terms in office . Wade is in his second term in office . But the court ruled that his first term , won in a 2000 election , could not be counted toward the term limit because that election came before the constitution took effect . `` Between these two points of view , there must naturally be an arbiter , '' presidential spokesman Serigne Mbacke Ndiaye said Monday . `` In our country , we have chosen as our arbiter the constitutional council . '' The opposition , however , does not trust the decision of the council , because all five judges were appointed by Wade and are widely thought to have limited independence . Danshohko called the decision a `` constitutional coup . '' U.S. State Department spokesperson Victoria Nuland said Wade should step aside . `` The statesmanly-like thing to do would be to cede to the next generation , and we think that would be better . '' She added , `` We work with the government the people elect . But again , our view is that Senegalese democracy is strong enough to move to the next generation . '' The ruling Friday set off riots in the capital of Dakar . Demonstrators set tires on fire and engaged in running street battles with authorities , with some protesters blocking roads by placing barricades in and around several city neighborhoods . One police officer died in the violence , while a journalist was injured , as police were trying to disperse crowds , according to a state news report . Ndiaye said the planned Tuesday protest will mobilize only a small fraction of the population . `` Today , the truth is that the Senegalese people are fundamentally attached to Abdoulaye Wade , '' he said . In addition to its electoral demands , the June 23rd Movement is seeking the release of Alioune Tine , a top member of the movement , and dozens of others the group says were arrested on Saturday after the riots . The group is also seeking the release of Barthelemy Dias , a Socialist Party official accused of shooting a man to death during clashes in December . Although West Africa has a history of military coups and civil wars , Senegal largely has been an exception . It has never experienced a military coup . However , political tensions have increased leading up to the February election . In June , thousands of protesters clashed with police in Dakar after Wade proposed changes to the constitution that his critics alleged were meant to make it easy for him to win re-election . Journalist Nick Loomis contributed to this report .
President 's office predicts Friday protest will be small . Dakar 's opposition movement calls for mass protest against election ruling . The ruling Tuesday keeps two independent candidates off the ballot . It also allows the country 's president to run for a second term .