Senegalese voters have a tight field of 19 candidates to choose from when they cast their ballots this month to elect a new leader to replace President Macky Sall in a closely contested election, but the president's delays have left the West African country's Concerns have been raised about the future of democracy.
The March 24 vote comes after Sall's attempt to postpone the election, originally scheduled for February, was overturned by Senegal's electoral authorities after weeks of violent protests. be exposed.
While the Constitutional Council's ruling has been welcomed by many in the country, observers warn that it may not be the final twist in the story. Several politicians have already applied to the court to postpone the election again, citing flaws in the candidate application process.
“Every week there's a new kind of scandal. This is Senegal,” said Ndongo Samba Sila, head of research and policy at IDEA, a network of political and economic analysts. He warned that “new developments may occur” in the coming days.
Meanwhile, during Ramadan, a period typically dedicated to spiritual reflection and worship rather than politics, candidates have less than two weeks to gain support from voters.
Here are the main candidates and the common elements that tie some of them together.
Basil Diomaie Faye
The 49-year-old tax inspector is a candidate in an opposition coalition that includes members of the disbanded PASTEF party of incendiary politician Ousmane Sonko, a fierce critic of Sal.
Sonko, who came third in the 2019 presidential election, was widely seen as the most popular candidate in this year's vote. However, the opposition leader was detained in July after being found guilty of “morally corrupting” young people, and was subsequently barred from standing on defamation charges. Faye was named his successor by Sonko.
Like Faye, Sonko was also a tax inspector.
Mr. Fay is seeking to capitalize on Mr. Sonko's popularity, especially among Senegal's unemployed youth. Three in ten Senegalese between the ages of 18 and 35 are unemployed. According to Afro Barometer data, population growth doubles every 25 years, making youth unemployment an even more serious problem.
But Mr Fay has been held in preventive detention since April, even though his face is emblazoned on the T-shirts of opposition supporters shouting his name at campaign rallies. He is expected to be released soon as part of an amnesty law.
“The majority of Senegalese, liberated or not, have already made their choice. Those who want to vote for Fay will vote for him,” said Tiaba Camara, head of the civil society group Demain Senegal. .
Fay called for the establishment of a new national currency. Renegotiating contracts between governments and businesses in sectors ranging from energy, mining to fishing. Reducing presidential powers, including reintroducing the position of vice president. He also pledged to equally share profits from the gas field, which is scheduled to begin production this year.
Amadou Ba
Ba, a former prime minister, once served as a tax inspector.Ba He is the Republican presidential candidate for the Sal's Alliance.He ran the Ministry of F.He was in charge of fiscal policy and economic planning from 2013 to 2019, and served as the country's top diplomat in 2019 and 2020.
Ba's victory signifies a continuation of policies with the previous government, reassuring foreign investors and ensuring a consistent fiscal response at a time when Senegal needs support from the International Monetary Fund, which approved a $1.8 billion loan in June. likely to be guaranteed.
But the 62-year-old was a member of Sall's government and faces public frustration over a rollback in civil liberties under the outgoing president. Dozens of people have been killed and more than 1,000 imprisoned in the past three years of political turmoil.
Hawa Ba, head of West Africa's Open Society Initiative, said: “Mr Ba is perceived as a candidate who embodies an old system that has never been separated from the structures established since independence.” .
Khalifa Sal
Another presidential candidate is a two-time mayor of Dakar (no relation to the president).
The widely popular politician was sentenced to five years in prison on fraud charges in 2018, which his supporters claimed was politically motivated. This conviction barred him from running in the following year's presidential election, where he was seen as a strong competitor to Macky Sall.
The former lawmaker, who trained as a teacher, was released in 2019 after receiving a presidential pardon.
Sustainable development is at the heart of Khalifa Sall's campaign. He said he wants to focus on responsible water management and fair land distribution. More than 70 percent of Senegal's population earns their living from the agriculture and livestock sector.
Idrissa Sek
Until April, Seck served as chair of the Economic, Social and Environmental Council.
The 63-year-old won 21 percent of the vote in the 2019 presidential election, finishing second in the race. After the vote, his Leumi party joined President Sall's ruling coalition.
According to reports, Seck and Sall fell out after the former expressed opposition to anyone seeking a third term and hinted at the latter's alleged ambitions. Seck also argued that Sonko should have been allowed to run in the 2024 election.
mahamed ibn abdallah dionne
Dionne served as Prime Minister from 2014 to 2019 and also served as head of the Central Bank of West African States and the United Nations Industrial Development Organization. The agency's mission is to support economic growth in developing countries and economies in transition.
He is a computer engineer by training. Dionne has promised to be a “president of reconciliation” if elected, promoting Senegal's “economic sovereignty.”
Anta Babakar Gomu
Ngom is the only female candidate and, if elected, would become Senegal's first female president. A political newcomer, the 40-year-old runs Senegal's largest poultry company, founded by her father.
She said she wants to boost the private sector, promote free health care and reform the education system, including adding local languages in addition to French.
