Why is Senegal’s presidential election being postponed?

Senegal’s President Macky Sall has indefinitely postponed the presidential election originally slated for February 25. In a televised address to the nation, the president revealed the cancellation of the electoral law, citing a dispute over the candidate list. Sall announced the abolishment of a November 2023 measure that had initially established the election date.

The facts

Without specifying a new date, Sall declared, “I will initiate an open national dialogue to establish the conditions for a free, transparent, and inclusive election in a peaceful and reconciled Senegal.”

This development follows last month’s decision by the Constitutional Council to exclude certain prominent opposition members from the list of candidates. The exclusion raised concerns about the integrity of the election process and fuelled dissatisfaction among excluded candidates who asserted that candidacy rules were not applied fairly, an allegation denied by the authorities.

Sall explained the decision to delay the vote, stating, “These troubled conditions could seriously undermine the credibility of the ballot by sowing the seeds of pre- and post-electoral disputes.”

The Parliament is expected to debate a bill that would schedule the postponed election for August 25 and extend Sall’s mandate until his successor takes over.

The arguments

Sall cited multiple reasons for indefinitely postponing the election, emphasizing concerns about the electoral process due to the absence of key candidates and opposition leaders. Among those excluded are Karim Wade of the PDS, currently in exile in Qatar, facing disqualification over alleged dual French-Senegalese citizenship. Another disqualified candidate, Rose Wardini, presently in detention, is also accused of holding dual citizenship. PASTEF’s prominent opposition leader Ousmane Sonko and his stand-in for the election, Bassirou Diomaye Faye, are currently incarcerated, contributing to the perceived instability of the electoral process in Senegal, typically known for its stable democracy.

President Sall, in his televised address, reiterated his commitment to not seek a third term. Haque emphasized that this is an unprecedented situation for Senegal, which has historically experienced peaceful democratic transitions of power. With 20 initial candidates in the running, uncertainty now surrounds both the leadership of the country and the timing of the rescheduled election.

The opposition Senegalese Democratic Party (PDS), whose candidate Karim Wade was among those excluded, had previously submitted a formal request to postpone the election.

However, the opposition PASTEF Party did not endorse the decision to pause the election, with Yassine Fall, PASTEF’s vice president, characterizing it as a “constitutional coup.” She expressed the belief that Sall’s motivation was not in the interest of the opposition, asserting, “Macky Sall is not doing this for us; he is doing this against us.” Fall argued that Sall aimed to maintain power or secure the election of someone from his party through manipulative and illegal institutional maneuver.

Former Prime Minister Aminata Toure, a leading opposition figure, was arrested while arriving at one protest against the decision. She served as premier under Sall before joining the opposition and becoming one of his most outspoken critics. Denouncing Sall’s decision to postpone the election, Toure described it as an “unprecedented democratic regression” and called on people to mobilise to defend their rights.

Senegal has traditionally been seen as a rare example of democratic stability in West Africa, which has been hit by a series of coups in recent years including in Mali, Niger and Burkina Faso.