What does the cryptic crossword clue "Ten years before leaders of new countries eliminate corruption (9)" mean?

The definition is "corruption". The wordplay uses a charade (building blocks). DECADE (synonym="Ten years") + N (abbreviation="new") + C (first_letter="countries") + E (first_letter="eliminate") = DECADENCE; definition: "corruption" The answer is DECADENCE.

Ten years before leaders of new countries eliminate corruption (9)

Daily Mail Cryptic #16989 | 15 Down | 2022-12-14 flower

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