The United States said on Friday that the decision by Senegalese President Abdoulaye Wade to seek a third term has the potential to jeopardize "a lot of the achievements" made by himself.

The comment by the U.S. State Department spokeswoman Victoria Nuland came as the West African nation's Constitutional Council is scheduled to rule on Wade's controversial bid on the same day.

"Well, obviously we respect Senegal's political and legal processes, so we are not going to get ahead of the Senegalese Constitutional Court in making a determination here," Nuland said at a regular news briefing.

"However, we do continue to believe that his decision to try to run for a third term as president does have the potential to jeopardize a lot of the achievements that he himself has made, including ushering in a new constitution with a two-term limit for presidents," she said.

"And we want to see him be a leader in paving the way for a new generation of African leaders and solidifying his own stature as a democrat in this way."

Wade, 85, who was first elected in 2000 and re-elected in 2007, is contesting in the presidential election slated for February, arguing he is able to run for reelection as the length of presidential terms was changed while he was in office.

However, his candidature has been rejected by the opposition parties and a section of the civil society, who have vowed to do everything possible to stop him from a third term.

Senegal's Interior Ministry has imposed a ban on all public demonstrations across the country on Jan. 26-30 as the five-judge Constitutional Council will rule on the candidates' validity.

"Senegal has a vibrant democracy, a vibrant civil society, and we call on everybody to participate peacefully in this process," Nuland said.

William Fitzgerald, U.S. deputy assistant secretary of state for African affairs, said on Monday that Wade's bid for a third term was "regrettable," calling for his retirement.