Belarus (Brussels Morning Newspaper), Senegal has been seen in the African arena as one of the most politically stable countries of the continent since it gained independence in 1960. Nevertheless, today’s internal stability of the state is under threat due to the upcoming presidential elections on March 24, 2024.
Senegal is a unitary presidential republic, which means that the president in this system is the head of the state with executive power and cannot be easily dismissed by the parliament. One of the problems of presidential systems is leadership change, which can result in a transition to an authoritarian or even dictatorship. However, in the case of Senegal, through the decades it was ranked 4th in electoral democracy rankings in Africa, so can it be changed this time?
As a country famous for its Paris-Dakar Rallies and relative stability, Senegal has been struggling with its economic situation since its independence. According to Transparency International’s 2023 Corruption Index Senegal is placed 70th out of 180 countries with a score of 43 out of 100. Its governmental debt is increasing every year, being at a record point nowadays with 73%.
Agriculture is staying a predominant part of the state’s economy with fishing and mining coming in second place. The average wage per day equals 4-5$ and the population below the poverty line totals 43%. However, Senegal’s government is trying to boost its economy by developing construction and tourist sectors. At present, the country has one of the most developed tourist industries in Africa.
At the same time, an ineffective justice system together with failing governance is making the situation more complicated. Another governmental struggle is education. Only 56% of the population can read, 69% of children completed their primary education and only 46% secondary. Senegal’s unemployment rate has reached 26% this year, which increases people’s dissatisfaction with the government even more.
Concerning Senegalese political life, it’s one of the most successful African states in the freedom index with 67 points out of 100, which makes it a partially free state. For comparison, in 2014 the state was declared a “free” state, but the consolidation of power by the government decreased Senegal’s indicators.
2024 presidential elections. A moment of change?
Incumbent president Macky Sall, who has been in power since April 2012 is trying to prolong his term in office by postponing the election date. The president canceled the election scheduled on February 25, 2024, as his second term is coming to an end in April. However, the Constitutional Council later overrun the decision and scheduled the election date on March 24, 2024.
Huge protests against Macky Sall’s attempts to stay for the third term in office and favor of free and fair elections took place in Dakar. The incumbent president is greatly polarising Senegalese society. At the beginning of his first term, he initiated several reforms that have been seen to improve the economic and political situation in the country. He established a Court for the Repression of Illegal Enrichment, the National Anti-corruption Office, and the National Commission for the restitution of property and recovery of wrongly acquired possessions to fight the main government’s issue- unstoppable corruption. He reduced the price of oil, rice, and sugar to decrease the cost of living for Senegalese citizens. Started to subsidize the farming sector and was trying to boost other sectors of the economy.
At the same time, the corruption level during Macky Sall’s stay in office reached one of the highest levels in the history of Senegal. Several ministers of justice were dismissed, and the new ones were appointed by the president, which weakened the justice system in the country.
Several opposition representatives, who were reporting the government’s ineffectiveness were persecuted and later detained, which led to a decreased popularity of the president. Macky Sall in pursuit of improving the country’s position in the international arena, involved Senegal in several foreign conflicts, including the Saudi-Yemen conflict and ECOWAS intervention in Gambia. As the predominant part of Senegal’s population (more than 90%) is Muslim, the president has been an active advocator of laws against homosexuality for whom he has been harshly criticized. Â
Nevertheless, everything can change as a result of the upcoming presidential election, where four main opposition candidates have a chance to defeat Macky Sall. There are Senegalese politician, Bassirou Faye, former Prime Minister, Amadou Ba, former Prime Minister, Mahammed Dionne, and the only female representative, Anta Ngom.
Bassirou Faye put his candidacy as a successor of his friend Ousmane Sonko, who has been sentenced to 2 years in prison. Bassirou Faye was a Secretary-General of the “PASTEF” project, the African Patriots of Senegal for Work, Ethics and Fraternity political party, which was co-founded by Bassirou Faye and Ousmane Sonko. The party was dissolved by the authorities for “frequently calling on its supporters to insurrectional movements, which has led to serious consequences, including loss of life, many wounded, as well as acts of looting of public and private property.”
In April 2023, Bassirou Faye was detained and accused by the government of “spreading false news, contempt of court and defamation of a constituted body” but later was released. Despite governmental claims, both Ousmane Sonko and Bassirou Faye remain the most popular figures in the upcoming elections.
With their experience in the tax administration, Senegalese citizens believe that they might be able to combat corruption, demand accountability, and advance a more equitable allocation of the nation’s resources. In addition, they have made audacious claims on potential monetary reforms and the renegotiation of energy and mining contracts. Regardless of the duo’s radical political tone, experts are saying that if they win the election, their tone will soften to cooperate with other political actors.
Another candidate, Amadou Ba, was serving as the Prime Minister of Senegal (2022-2024), Minister of Finance and Economy (2013-2019), and Foreign Minister of Senegal (2019-2020). Amadou Ba is on the list of the most influential Africans till nowadays.
Mahammed Dionne served as an adviser to president Macky Sall before being appointed as Prime Minister of Senegal (2014-2019). He has been working earlier at the Central Bank of West African States and the United Nations Industrial Development Organization.
Both ministers were serving under Macky Sall’s administration and are not particularly desirable to Senegalese people as they are connected with the current government.
The first woman to run for the presidential chair in Senegal in years is Anta Ngom, a business executive. She is giving some hope in bringing gender equality to a country with a long history of rape and gender violence.
As a business owner, Anta Ngom promises to fix major economic problems of Senegal, including the creation of more working opportunities for young Senegalese and the first bank for women to support their financial independence in a patriarchal state. Several political experts are supposing Anta Ngom to be a leading political candidate in these elections as she gathers enormous crowds around herself during visits to Senegalese towns. A major part of her supporters are women, who are seeing in her a possibility for a change in the system.
Unexpectedly for everyone, Macky Sall on the eve of elections stated: “If the next president is not elected on the 24th [March], I’m leaving on 2 April regardless. That is the deadline, and I don’t intend to stay on another day”. Above that the president released two political candidates, Ousmane Sonko and Bassirou Faye, which greatly reduced tensions that have been growing in recent months, which can lead to more peaceful elections and a non-violent transition of power.Â
Regardless of election results, the new president of Senegal will face several obstacles that should be resolved. The major concern is going to be the growing unemployment rate as currently 3 out of 10 young Senegalese are unemployed and the situation is becoming more complicated with the increasing year-to-year fertility rate. Another issue is extensive presidential powers, which are aimed to be reduced with the establishment of a trustworthy system of checks and balances. By actually fighting corruption and reducing inflation the new government can achieve great success as it will not only improve citizens’ quality of life but will possibly attract foreign capital to the country.
To summarize, these presidential elections can be a turning point for the country as several opposition candidates are bringing new hope to exhausted and faithless Senegalese people. It can be a major difference or another several years of empty words and promises. Nevertheless, there should always be hope for a better future, as the new government of Senegal will have every chance to change the system for the better.
Opinions expressed in the op-ed section are solely those of the individual author and do not represent the official stance of our newspaper. We believe in providing a platform for a wide range of voices and perspectives, even those that may challenge or differ from our own. As always, we remain committed to providing our readers with high-quality, fair, and balanced journalism. Thank you for your continued support.Sincerely, The Brussels Morning Team
