Senegal / Presidential Election: Several Candidates in the Running, Including the Opposition Figure Ousmane Sonko
In Senegal, the presidential election is scheduled for February 25, 2024. A total of 90 candidacies have been registered, including that of the opposition figure Ousmane Sonko.
Ninety candidates are entering the race for the presidential seat with the aim of succeeding Macky Sall, who has declared that he will not seek another term. Among the candidates are Khalifa Sall, Karim Wade, Idrissa Seck, Abdoulaye Sylla, Rose Wardini, and the opposition figure Ousmane Sonko, who is currently in detention for legal issues.
The question arises as to whether Ousmane Sonko’s candidacy stands a chance of being accepted. Declared guilty on June 1 of debauchery with a minor and sentenced to two years in prison, Sonko did not appear at the trial and was convicted in absentia. Since then, the 49-year-old opposition leader, imprisoned since late July on other charges, including incitement to insurrection, association of wrongdoers linked to a terrorist enterprise, and endangering state security, has denounced these cases as plots aimed at sidelining him from the presidential race.
The decision on Sonko’s fate will be known on January 20, 2024, with the publication of the definitive list of candidates. For now, the Constitutional Council still has to rule on the validation of the files of the 90 registered candidates.
The draw to determine the order of verification of sponsorship files by the council’s teams is scheduled for Thursday. To better navigate this step, several candidates have opted for the sponsorship of parliamentarians, each having the obligation to gather 13 deputies to avoid duplicates in the sponsorship lists.
It is noteworthy that this is the first time in Senegal that a presidential election will take place without an incumbent president. Among the submitted files is naturally that of Amadou Ba, the Senegalese Prime Minister and candidate of the ruling coalition.
