Senegalese presidential candidates are gearing up for a shortened race to election day after the constitutional council confirmed that the delayed vote will be held on March 24. This decision kick-starts a competition that remains wide open. The uncertainty over the date of the vote has been a major point of contention in the West African country since early February.
In early February, authorities attempted to postpone the Feb. 25 poll by 10 months, causing widespread protests and concerns of democratic backsliding. The country has been in a state of uncertainty ever since. The council’s ruling on Wednesday stated that the vote must be held before President Macky Sall’s mandate expires on April 2. President Sall has now scheduled the election for March 24, a date that has been approved by the top court.
“Today we feel relieved to have resolved this issue that was causing a lot of divisions among all Senegalese people,” said Dr. Mohamed Diop on a busy street in Dakar. The resolution of this issue brings a sense of calm to many in the country.
The new election date gives the 19 candidates little over two weeks to campaign for support. It also means that for the first time, campaigning will take place during the holy month of Ramadan, a period when many people in this Muslim-majority country fast.
Opposition candidate Thierno Alassane Sall described the situation as unprecedented, expressing hope that the election will help the country move forward from the recent crisis. On the other hand, the ruling Benno Bokk Yakaar (BBY) coalition’s candidate, Amadou Ba, expressed confidence in his chances of victory in the upcoming election.
Despite the confidence expressed by Ba, there are no public election polls in Senegal, making the outcome uncertain for all candidates. Even before the dispute over the postponement, some within the BBY coalition had raised concerns about Ba’s low profile with voters compared to other more experienced candidates.
The confirmation of the election date has also had a positive impact on the debt market. Senegal’s international sovereign dollar bonds saw a rise in value on Thursday, with the 2048 bond reaching its highest level since early January, according to Tradeweb data.
With a record number of candidates in the running, it is likely that none of them will secure more than 50% of the vote, leading to a second round of voting between the top two candidates. The recent political turmoil may have influenced some candidates’ chances as well.
An amnesty bill proposed by President Sall to ease tensions was passed by parliament on Wednesday. This move is expected to result in the release of Bassirou Faye from detention. Faye is a candidate backed by popular opposition leader Ousmane Sonko.
Additional reporting by Portia Crowe and Bate Felix, Writing by Sofia Christensen and Alessandra Prentice, Editing by Bate Felix and Nick Macfie
