In the wake of the exclusion of Karim Wade from the presidential race on February 25, 2024, his supporters have been advocating for the creation of a parliamentary inquiry commission to reevaluate the process of sidelining certain candidates amid allegations of corruption within the Constitutional Council.
On Monday, the proposal was examined by the National Assembly’s Committee on Laws, and on Wednesday, assembled deputies will vote to approve or reject the establishment of this inquiry commission, challenging the highest judicial body.
In a comprehensive four-page document, members of the parliamentary group “Freedom, Democracy, and Change,” comprising deputies from Karim Wade’s Democratic Party of Senegal (PDS) and opposition members, propose the formation of an inquiry commission to scrutinize the candidate selection process for the presidential election.
The primary goal is to shed light on “conflicts of interest, advantages, and suspicions of corruption” involving certain members of the Constitutional Council. According to these deputies, some individuals may have received money to invalidate specific candidacies. The accusations are severe and are directed at two of the seven judges on the Constitutional Council: Judges Cheikh Tidiane Coulibaly and Cheikh Ndiaye, who are accused of having “dubious connections with certain candidates.”
Another aspect to be examined, according to PDS deputies, is the “serious shortcomings” during the verification of sponsorships conducted by the Constitutional Council between December 26, 2023, and January 20, 2024. They point to the use of an outdated voter registry and technical failures in the verification software. Similar criticisms were voiced by around forty disqualified candidates who met with President Macky Sall last week.
On Monday, Judge Cheikh Ndiaye filed a complaint against unknown individuals for “defamation, contempt of a magistrate, and discredit cast on a judicial decision.” Meanwhile, the Constitutional Council issued a statement emphasizing the independence of the judiciary in Senegal and expressing willingness to fully investigate these “serious and unfounded” allegations, as stated by the council of sages. They also underscored that accusations undermining institutions cannot go without consequences for their authors.