Senegal Election 2024: What You Need to Know

Why is this election important?

It should have been one of Africa’s duller polls.

With its functioning economy, Senegal is considered a stable and safe country – no small feat in West Africa, where there are numerous coups, crises and uprisings. A president seen as a quiet man resigns after two terms in office. The candidate pool consists mainly of the political old guard.

But then President Macky Sall destroyed any chance of a banal election. On state television, he declared the vote invalid, alleging corruption in the constitutional court’s approval of the candidates.

In the ensuing uproar, Mr Sall backtracked and said the vote would take place on March 24, nine days before his term expired. And then, in a dramatic move, he released the leading opposition candidate and the leader of the opposition party from prison.

Who is running?

The ruling party’s candidate is Amadou Ba, a former prime minister. The man many see as the main opponent, Bassirou Diomaye Faye, has just been released from prison. He is supported by a popular but divisive politician: Ousmane Sonko. There are also 17 other candidates, including former mayors and prime ministers.

But what is more important is who is not running. That would be Mr Sonko, who cannot attend due to his conviction corrupt a minor, in a scandal involving a young massage parlor employee who accused him of rape. Mr. Sonko is Mr. Sall’s main opponent, a (relatively) young former tax inspector who has recently dominated politics in Senegal, particularly through his criticism of elites and promises to help Senegal’s unemployed youth.

Mr Sonko has many critics. But many young Senegalese say he speaks truth to power, and they have repeatedly taken to the streets in his defense, despite the risk Death at the hands of the police. He was released from prison along with Mr Faye on Thursday evening.

The other key figure unable to run is Karim Wade, son of former President Abdoulaye Wade, who tried to stay in power in 2012 but was defeated by Mr Sall. The younger Mr. Wade, who is of French-Senegalese descent, is not allowed to run because he did not renounce his French citizenship when he filed his candidacy. That’s what caused all the uproar and led to Mr. Sall canceling the election in the first place.

What are the main problems?

The economy is a major problem – according to Afrobarometer, an independent research network, most Senegalese say the economic situation is bad and that addressing it is the most important problem facing the government. The economy is growing, but more than 36 percent of the people live there Poverty.

Almost a third of young people are unemployed, and many have made it their goal to travel to Europe or America to try to improve their prospects. Thousands take boats to the Canary Islands, travel dangerous desert roads towards the Mediterranean or, most recently, Detours by plane, bus or on foot to Central America.

When will the results be published?

The first-round results are expected to be announced about a week after next Sunday’s election, but many analysts expect a runoff. The last time the runoff election took place was about a month after the first round. Mr. Sall says he will leave office by April 2 and that if there is a runoff election, National Assembly leader Amadou Mame Diop should take over in the meantime, the Constitutional Council said.

Who is likely to win?

Almost certainly a former tax inspector. Mr. Ba, who resigned as prime minister to concentrate on what is expected to be one of the shortest political campaigns, is a former tax inspector. This also applies to Mr. Faye, who is not well known but has a good chance of winning simply because he was anointed by Mr. Sonko.

Neither Mr. Ba nor Mr. Faye are particularly popular in Senegal, and neither is expected to win in a landslide. But if the election goes to a runoff, many analysts say it will be a choice between the two.