As the national dialogue in Senegal, initiated by President Macky Sall, proposed a new date for the presidential election on June 2nd, a portion of the opposition criticizes it as an “illegal and non-negotiable proposition.” This is because the president would remain in office despite the end of his mandate on April 2nd, creating a legal vacuum. The ruling party dismisses these criticisms as “bad faith.”
According to Amadou Ba, one of the leaders of the Diomaye President Coalition, supporting candidate Bassirou Diomaye Faye, currently in prison, “this proposition is entirely illegal and non-negotiable.”
On the side of the PDS party, which participated in the dialogue, there is satisfaction as their candidate Karim Wade could potentially be reinstated on the candidate list. He had been disqualified by the Constitutional Council, citing his dual Franco-Senegalese nationality at the time of candidate registration, reports our correspondent in Dakar, Juliette Dubois.
However, according to Babacar Gueye, a constitutional expert and member of the citizen collective Aar Sunu Elections (Protect Our Elections), which boycotted the dialogue, if the date is set for June 2nd, Macky Sall undermines the decision of the Constitutional Council. He asserts that the jurisdiction had requested the election to be held promptly, emphasizing that the duration of the mandate should not be extended.
“We skip over April 2nd,” explains Babacar Gueye, “and find ourselves in a legal vacuum from that date onwards.” However, nothing is definitive yet, as the extension of Macky Sall’s mandate and the reopening of the candidate list must be arbitrated by the Constitutional Council. The date could also be subject to legal challenges.