Senegal : Macky Sall initiates dialogue for resolution of electoral crisis

Senegalese President Macky Sall convened a number of political and social actors on Monday to try to reach an agreement on the date of the presidential election. He has given himself two days, Monday and Tuesday, to find a way out of the crisis that the country has been facing since he decreed on February 3 the postponement of the presidential election, originally scheduled for February 25.

This meeting aims to achieve a « consensus » following consultations that will address, as he stated on Thursday, both a new date and the post-April 2nd period, the official end date of his mandate.

Either the participants agree on a date and he will immediately issue a decree convening the voters, or he will refer the matter back to the Constitutional Council, which will be responsible for deciding, as he stated on Thursday.

However, 16 of the 19 qualified candidates, as well as citizen collectives, had announced that they would not participate, and there was no indication on Monday that they had reversed their decision. They demand that the election take place as soon as possible, and before April 2nd. Some of them are concerned about the consequences of a presidential vacancy without an established succession.

A spokesperson for Karim Wade’s party confirmed the participation of its representatives in the « dialogue » the modalities of which are unknown. Karim Wade himself lives in exile.

President Macky Sall justified the postponement of the presidential election out of fear that a contested election could trigger new outbreaks of violence, following those experienced in 2021 and 2023. The opposition denounced a « constitutional coup ».  Demonstrations that were repressed resulted in four deaths and dozens of arrests.

Ramatou Diabaté