The February 25 elections have been postponed indefinitely. There is a lack of understanding on the streets of Dakar and the opposition calls for protests.

Everything is bullshit: Senegal, the defending champion, has already been eliminated from the African Cup of Nations. Here are the spectators in the lost round of 16. Photo: Cem Ozdel / Anadolu via AFP

DAKAR taz | It already became evident when Senegal's parliament debated the postponement of the February 25 presidential election in the middle of last week. The fact that this is actually happening remains surprising. Early Saturday afternoon announced President Macky Sallpostpone the presidential elections indefinitely. Additionally, a national dialogue must take place to ensure that elections are free, fair and transparent.

Shortly after the cancellation of the elections, with which Macky Sall, who cannot run again after two terms, extended his mandate, there are more security forces than usual in Dakar. They are mainly found at intersections and overpasses.

There are concerns about spontaneous protests. Embassies warn against large gatherings of people and recommend staying home. But as of Sunday afternoon, things remained quiet in Senegal's capital. Because there is, above all, a lack of understanding about the decision. A taxi driver says dryly: “That's not right. “We want to vote.”

Félix Atchadé, political observer, says of the postponement of the elections: “It is the first time in the history of Senegal that this has happened.” It is an “institutional coup” and a “non-constitutional path that does not have major differences.” with that of “What the military did in Mali, Niger and Burkina Faso,” he adds.

“We want to vote”

“The Senegalese did not sleep a wink last night,” says Professor Pape Kalidou Thiam. He is in the city of Tambacounda, about 400 kilometers southeast of Dakar, and is involved in the Young African Activists movement. So far things have been quiet in Tambacounda, he reports. “We want to settle our future at the polls, but not in the streets. “We have a great tradition of voting.”

The reason for the postponement is the disputes in the electoral process. There were 20 names on the February 25 ballots, more than ever. But two of the country's most important politicians are missing: the popular opposition leader Ousmane Sonkowho is in prison, and Karim Wadeson of Macky Sall's predecessor, Abdoulaye Wade.

Karim Wade was excluded because he has Senegalese and French nationality. His party, the PSD (Democratic Party of Senegal), then had a Postponement requested. He also accused members of the Constitutional Council of bias. In the middle of the week, Parliament approved a commission of inquiry, for which members of the presidential side also voted.

Stable democracy, actually

Senegal is considered a stable democracy within the region, which has experienced several military coups in recent years: in the neighboring countries of Senegal, Mali and Guinea, as well as in Burkina Faso and Niger. There is a lot of trust in the institutions. What has happened now is even more serious. Criticism of Macky Sall has increased significantly in recent years. There has long been speculation about whether he might seek an unconstitutional third term. The fact that he did not comment on the matter for a long time increased fears. He then gave up, but that did not alleviate the situation.

There was always a name associated with the anti-government demonstrations in 2021 and 2023: Ousmane Sonko. Leader of the Pastef party (African Patriots of Senegal for Work, Ethics and Fraternity), he came third in the 2019 presidential elections and is considered a political candidate among young Senegalese, possessing sharp anti-French rhetoric and, for example, criticizes the CFA currency, which is pegged to the euro.

In June 2023, at least 16 people, and other estimates say more than 23, died in protests because Sonko was sentenced to two years in prison for “seducing young girls” in a rape trial. Therefore, his candidacy in 2024 was not approved and Pastef was banned. Now Sonko is demonstratively behind him. Bassirou Diomaye Faye. He is also in prison, but has not yet been convicted and, therefore, may appear at the polls.

There is speculation in the opposition that the prospect of a possible electoral victory for Bassirou Diomaye Faye is behind the cancellation of the elections. Also applies Amadou Ba, a candidate from the government camp, appears quite pale and, for Macky Sall, less reliable than expected. But none of this is certain.

This also applies to what will happen from April 2, the day of the planned handover to the new president, when Macky Sall's regular term ends. That won't happen now. Cheikh Tidiane Dièye, another presidential candidate, stressed on Saturday afternoon that Sall will no longer be President of the Republic from that date.

On Sunday morning, sections of the opposition announced that they would not recognize the cancellation of the elections and would now begin the election campaign as planned. This is associated with possible protests.