Without genuine presidential elections, the Senegalese settled for a symbolic vote on February 25, 2024, as they await Macky Sall, mandated on February 15 by the Constitutional Council to organize the elections as soon as possible, to take action.
Macky Sall has been dragging his feet since the Council’s decision. Instead of setting a date, he called for a dialogue that neither the 17 out of 19 candidates approved by the Constitutional Council nor the members of civil society were willing to participate in.
After an unsuccessful attempt to secure a third term and the National Assembly passing a law postponing the elections to December 15, thereby extending his mandate, this dialogue serves as a lifeline for a president at the end of his reign, rejected by his people but determined to cling to power beyond the end of his term on April 2, 2024.
The 16 candidates, gathered under the collective FC25, submitted a request to the Constitutional Council on Monday, February 26, “to acknowledge the President’s failure to take the necessary measures to convene the presidential election within the required timeframe.”
Once again, the country’s fate lies in the hands of the seven wise men & women who will decide in the coming days.
