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Next spring, the Senegalese will have a date – for the twelfth time in their history – with presidential elections, as the fifth president will be chosen for this African country, which is known for its political stability and has not experienced military coups despite their prevalence in its surroundings.
After legal battles that lasted for months, Senegal’s Constitutional Council announced a list of 20 candidates to run in the presidential elections.
Voters will go next February 25 to choose their country’s fifth president from among candidates whose political backgrounds are diverse and whose priorities vary.
The presidential elections in Senegal are receiving wide regional and international attention, as the West African region is going through very complex political transformations, the most important of which is moving away from France, moving militarily towards Russia, and partnering economically with China and Turkey.
Outgoing president
Senegal, despite being the most established and credible West African democratic model, during more than 6 decades of political life after independence, did not witness any presidential elections in which the outgoing president did not participate.
The researcher on African affairs at Al Jazeera Network, Abdul Rahman Mubarik, believes – in an article published by the Al Jazeera Center for Studies – that the defeats of the two former presidents Abdou Diouf In 2000, and Abdallah Wade in 2012 convinced the current president Macy asked By abandoning the bid for a third term.
But he goes on to say that Macky Sall was not completely convinced – it seems – to leave power, as he nominated his prime minister, Amadou Bah, and Mabirick explains that “this is an entitlement that the Senegalese will have to go through until the next president is convinced of the futility of presenting a candidate to succeed him.”
Exclusion of the opposition leader
What also draws attention in these elections is the exclusion of the young political opposition leader Ousmane Sonko He is in prison, and Karim Wade, the son of the former president.
Sonko is an opposition politician who is very popular with young people, and legal prosecutions against him have caused tension in Senegalese political life since 2021, and have led to several rounds of bloody unrest.
Supporters of the opposition Sonko previously caused widespread chaos in the capital, Dakar, resulting in a number of deaths and injuries, after his imprisonment in June 2023, and it is expected that the elections will take place in a tense political atmosphere due to his exclusion.
As for the opposition, Karim Wade, the former minister and son of the former president Abdullah Wade (2000-2012), his name was not included in the list due to his ineligibility to run due to his dual citizenship, French and Senegalese, as the Senegalese constitution stipulates that any presidential candidate must have “exclusive Senegalese nationality.”
The electoral campaign will begin on the fourth of next February, and observers are unlikely that its results will be decided in the first half due to the large number of candidates, the weakness of the ruling party, and the lack of alignment of the opposition.
Below is a review of the most prominent candidates:
Amadou Bah
He is the candidate of the ruling political bloc, the Alliance for the Republic Party, and some loyal political blocs. He is 62 years old. He is one of the close associates of outgoing President Macky Sall, and comes from the Fulani tribe spread along the banks of the Senegalese river.
Amadou Bah has extensive experience, as he held important ministerial portfolios such as economy, finance, and foreign affairs, before becoming the Prime Minister in charge of forming and leading the government in 2022.
He enjoys wide popularity in the capital, Dakar, and in the river region inhabited by Fulani tribes. He also enjoys good relations with some Sufi orders that have a strong influence on the political scene.
On the external level, he has extensive political relations, especially with Paris, and the positions of Foreign Affairs and Prime Minister have allowed him to expand the circle of his relations and get to know many international actors.
Despite the strong presence and government support, Bah faces difficulties and challenges, the most important of which is the decline in the popularity of the government, which was unable to obtain a majority in the legislative elections organized in 2022, as the ruling party obtained 82 seats out of 165, that is, one seat less than obtaining an absolute majority.
Also, his running in the presidential elections from the gate of the Prime Ministry made many politicians consider him an extension of President Macky Sall, who popular protests did not allow him to advance in the presidential race despite the interpretation of the constitution in his favor.
Idrissa Sc
Idrissa Seck is considered one of the “old generation” candidates. He is 64 years old. He is a former prime minister and head of the “Roumi” party. He ranked second in the 2019 presidential elections.
He has extensive experience working in government departments and the private sector, and has good relations with various Sufi orders. He held the position of Prime Minister and Prime Minister from 2002 to 2004 and was close to President Abdallah Wade.
Seck is very popular in the city of Tis – the second city in Senegal – where he was previously elected mayor, and is classified as a follower of the Touba Zaouia, which has great political and religious influence.
Idrissa Seck is distinguished by his keenness to remain within the circle of loyalty, and after obtaining second place in the 2019 elections, he joined Macky Sall’s government team, and was appointed president of the Economic and Social Council.
After joining the ruling regime bloc, he faced a crisis of confidence with voters, and many of his supporters turned towards opposition leader Othman Sonko.
Khalifa asked
Presidential candidate Khalifa Sall is 67 years old. He was elected mayor of the capital, Dakar, in 2014. He served as Minister of the Republic twice. He previously worked as an advisor to the World Bank and United Nations bodies in Africa, and has relationships with economic donors.
He was elected several times to the Senegalese parliament, and has great influence in the circles of the Socialist Party, which ruled under former presidents Senghor and Abdou Diouf.
In 2019, the State Inspectorate General convicted him of corruption and embezzlement of public funds and sentenced him to 5 years in prison, which damaged his reputation among voters attracted by anti-corruption and anti-bribery rhetoric.
Passero Diomai Fay
The opposition’s alternative candidate, 42-year-old Bassero Diomai Faye, holds a master’s degree in law from Sheikh Anta Job University, and works as a financial auditor and head of the litigation office in the Financial Legislation Department.
He is classified as a militant of the opposition Pastif Party (dissolved), and he submitted his file to be an alternative to Leader Sonko in the event that he is rejected by the Constitutional Council, which has already happened.
On January 19, the opposition bloc announced that it had an alternative plan in the event that Ousmane Sonko’s nomination was rejected. It turned out that Bassero was the focus of this plan, and it was expected that candidate Habib Sy would withdraw in his favor, because both of them were from the ranks of the Bastif Party.
Bassero enjoys the support of Senegalese youth who yearn for a break with the old generation that inherits political and government positions. He is known for his sharp stances towards the regime and has a great ability to mobilize the street, demonstrate and protest.
Nominated from prison
Bassero Diomai Faye has been currently in prison since April 2023 on charges of insulting the judiciary, after he wrote a post on social media criticizing the procedure for arresting Sonko.
The imprisonment gained him great sympathy among the educated elites who support freedom of opinion and expression.
It is expected that the popularity of the Pastev Party – which consists mainly of young people and the poor classes – has increased significantly after 2019, as the party then achieved third place in the presidential elections.
Youth leaders in Senegal intersect with the revolutionary ideas adopted by coup leaders in West Africa by departing from the approach of the old political regimes.
Basiro faces great difficulties, the most important of which is the lack of his team of businessmen who have a role in financing the elections, in addition to the lack of political experience.
Decisive round
The list approved by the Constitutional Council includes candidates who have limited influence, and their candidacy would scatter votes among the candidates who have more luck, and make it impossible to decide in favor of any of them in the first half.
Among the candidates with the most likely votes is former Prime Minister Aminata Toure, who has good relations within the ranks of the ruling party and disagreed with President Macky Sall in 2022 after she did not run for the presidency of Parliament.
Among the figures who have relative influence and whose nomination was approved by the Constitutional Council is former Prime Minister Abdallah Dion.
The 2024 elections come in light of massive gas discoveries that will begin to be exported during the current year, which has made foreign investors and companies count on the continued political stability that has characterized Senegal over the past decades.
