The people of Senegal are eagerly awaiting news of a new date for the presidential election after President Macky Sall decided to postpone the vote. This uncertainty has led to heightened tension and anticipation, particularly as the nation engages in a national dialogue, faces contestation, and experiences a call for a general strike. The climax of this suspense is expected to occur this Tuesday.
The national dialogue began with a major announcement: President Macky Sall is set to present an amnesty bill at next Wednesday’s cabinet meeting. The proposed amnesty will encompass events associated with political demonstrations occurring between 2021 and 2024.
This initial gesture aims at fostering a sense of reconciliation at the onset of a national dialogue endeavoring to unite the “vital forces of the nation,” including political leaders, civil society, trade unions, the business community, as well as religious and traditional leaders.
Among the presidential candidates endorsed by the Constitutional Council, only two have responded to President Macky Sall’s call: Amadou Ba, the current Prime Minister and candidate of the presidential camp, and Boune Abdallah Dionne, a former head of government.
However, numerous candidates who were not endorsed have expressed their stance, such as the Democratic Party of former President Abdoulaye Wade, whose son Karim Wade is a candidate. They demand a complete restart of the electoral process to enable their candidate’s participation in the upcoming election.
What about the other candidates validated by the Constitutional Council? Fifteen out of the 19 validated candidates who were absent from the dialogue lodged a petition with the Constitutional Council yesterday, Monday, to exert pressure for the election to be held before April 2nd, the end of Macky Sall’s term.
Pape Djibril Fall chose not to file the petition but also abstained from attending the dialogue. Additionally, Idrissa Seck, a former president of the Economic, Social, and Environmental Council, ultimately did not participate in the dialogue.
Today, technical commissions convene in the early morning to deliberate on the election date and post-April 2nd scenarios, marking the conclusion of Macky Sall’s term.
The stakeholders are expected to convey their decisions to the head of state by the end of the day. President Sall has pledged to uphold these decisions and issue a decree for the convocation of the electoral body.
Meanwhile, mobilization persists on the streets. Over the past weekend, several political and civil society demonstrations were held, along with symbolic votes on Sunday, February 25th, the initially scheduled presidential election date. Certain civil society actors and a portion of the presidential candidates cast their ballots to intensify pressure for the earliest possible presidential election.