Senegal: The End of Stability?

Senegal, a West African nation of about 16 million people, has long been praised as a model of democracy and stability in a region plagued by coups, conflicts, and corruption. However, in recent weeks, the country has been plunged into a political crisis that threatens to undermine its reputation and stability.

The crisis was triggered by the decision of President Macky Sall, who has been in power since 2012, to cancel the presidential election that was scheduled for February 25, 2024, just three weeks before the vote. He cited a dispute between the National Assembly and the Constitutional Council, the highest judicial body in charge of validating the candidates and the results, over an alleged corruption case.

The dispute revolves around the candidacy of Karim Wade, the son of former President Abdoulaye Wade, who ruled from 2000 to 2012. Karim Wade, who served as a minister under his father, was convicted of illicit enrichment and sentenced to six years in prison in 2015, but was pardoned by Sall in 2016 and exiled to Qatar. He returned to Senegal in 2019 and announced his intention to run for president in 2024.

However, his candidacy was rejected by the Constitutional Council on the grounds that he holds dual French and Senegalese citizenship, which is prohibited by the constitution. Wade’s camp accused Prime Minister and ruling coalition candidate Amadou Ba of bribing two judges of the Council to eliminate their rival. A parliamentary inquiry committee was set up to investigate the conditions of Wade’s disqualification by the Council.

On February 5, 2024, the National Assembly, dominated by Sall’s allies, voted to postpone the presidential election to December 15, 2024, after a tense session that ended with the intervention of the gendarmerie in the chamber. Sall remains in power until the next election, extending his mandate by 10 months.

This unprecedented move sparked several protests across the country, which were met with repression by the security forces. The opposition, civil society, and the international community denounced a coup by the government and a violation of the constitution. The situation remains tense and uncertain in Senegal, where the political climate is marked by mistrust, contestation, and violence.