Sara Etukudo | 15 February 2024

Summary

• President Macky Sall made a unilateral decision to postpone the presidential elections scheduled for the 25th February 2024. 

• A bill was passed to extend the election to the 15th of December. However, this verdict was met with large numbers of protests across the country, notably Dakar, where it has allegedly claimed three lives. 

• Voters remain sceptical about the delayed election, but if Sall does not leave when his term ends, it could lead to the formation of a transitional or coalition government, which may lead to further unrest.  

Senegal has often been regarded as the most stable country in West Africa and the only West African democracy that has not experienced a coup; however, its reputation may be at risk. The presidential elections were scheduled for 25th February 2024, but were postponed by Senegal’s President Macky Sall.  The National Assembly cemented this decision, passing a bill to set a new election for 15th December. The bill was supported by 105 of the 165 assembly members. This is the first time a presidential election was delayed in the country’s history. 

President Sall's term is supposed to end on 2nd April and has stated that he will not run for a third term but felt that the postponement was necessary as there were disagreements concerning the eligibility of approved candidates. Critics accuse him of trying to cling to power as he’s been in office since 2012. The opposition revealed that some of their members were forcibly removed from the parliament building during the voting of the bill to stop them from going against it. This conveys to the public that President Sall may not leave his position or be a significant influence in the selection of the next elected president.   

As a result, protests have erupted across the country, and demonstrators in Dakar battled with security forces, throwing rocks and setting tyres on fire. This could potentially lead the country into political turmoil, as the violent protests have already claimed three lives, as reported by Al Jazeera. Additionally, authorities have restricted access to Internet services to prevent “hateful” messages from appearing online. A ploy to make it difficult for protestors to organise themselves. Opposition leader Khalil Sall, has deemed it a “constitutional coup”. Voters are sceptical about the delayed election. President Sall will need to take careful steps to avoid fuelling further instability.  

Forecast

• Short-term: As voters await to see what President Sall’s proposed reforms to the electoral system and Constitutional Council will be, Senegal may head in the direction of political turmoil if more opposition politicians are being detained and arrested.  

• Long-term: When Sall’s term effectively ends and he is still in power by 2nd April, a transitional or coalition government may form that will include members of the opposition.