Youssou Ndour Applies For 2012 Election

Reporters waited for hours outside the headquarters of the constitutional council, the West African country’s highest court which is charged with determining the eligibility of candidates. Ndour emerged along with members of his staff after having turned in the documents, but made no comments to the press.

The 52-year-old Grammy-winning musician is enormously popular on dance floors in his native Senegal. It’s unclear if he will be able to turn that popularity into votes at the ballot box, and many Senegalese say they will not vote for him because of his lack of formal education.