Macky Sall, Ousmane Sonko, Karim Wade… Who are the actors in the political crisis in Senegal?

Outrage in Senegal. The country has entered a new political crisis after the announcement on Saturday of an indefinite postponement of presidential elections originally scheduled for February 25. The decision, made by President Macky Sall, angered the opposition and mobilized protesters on the street on Sunday. In the heart of the hurricane, many political figures have their cards.

Macky Sall, isolated president

Senegal’s head of state, 62, was first elected in 2012 for seven years, then re-elected in 2019 for five years. After maintaining secrecy around the new candidacy, Macky Sall finally announced in July 2023 that he was refusing the new mandate.

This former member of the Democratic Party of Senegal (PDS), founder of the Alliance for the Republic, a centrist and liberal party, by decree of November 29, 2023, scheduled presidential elections for February 25. at the end of December, transfer power to the elected president based on the results of the vote, repeating this promise several times.

Before the final turnaround: On Saturday he announced that he had rescinded his November order due to political unrest that could interfere with the vote, so he postponed the process to an undetermined date. A decision that angered the opposition. “The arguments put forward by Macky Sall do not seem entirely convincing,” comments Caroline Roussey, Iris research director and specialist on West Africa. “This situation may leave him isolated as all parties react differently to his statement,” she adds.

Amadou Ba, the president’s heir, is in a difficult position

Currently, Senegalese Prime Minister Amadou Ba is one of twenty candidates whose candidacy has been confirmed in the presidential elections in Senegal. A member of the president’s Alliance for the Republic (APR-Yaakaar) party, he was appointed heir apparent to Macky Sall, who is not seeking a new mandate.

But the candidate’s chances seemed slim: the 62-year-old prime minister is contested within his own ranks and faces dissidents such as former interior minister Ali Nguye Ndiaye or former prime minister Mohamed Boun Abdallah Dionne, Le Monde recalls. Several leaders from the same camp already estimated in December that Amadou Ba “won’t even make it past the first round.”

Kareem Wade, Vengeance Candidate

Former President Abdoulaye Wade’s son, Karim Wade, 55, is one of the candidates rejected by Senegal’s Constitutional Council, which is responsible for approving the list of candidates for the election. This refers to his dual French-Senegalese nationality at the time of application, whereas the Constitution requires that “any candidate for the office of President of the Republic shall be exclusively a citizen Senegalese citizenship. After a brief stint in prison on charges of “illegal enrichment,” Kareem Wade tried to run for office in 2019, but his candidacy was also declared invalid on constitutional grounds.

Following his ouster, elected officials from his camp, the Democratic Party of Senegal, created a parliamentary commission to investigate the functioning of the Constitutional Council, suspecting it of “corruption.”

Karim Wade was born in Paris, studied in France, worked in the UK and lived in Qatar. Life abroad has already undermined his credibility as a Senegalese candidate, comments Caroline Roussy. Moreover, it will be difficult for the president’s son to break away from the “aura of his father” Abdoulaye, who has been at the head of Senegal for twelve years.

Ousmane Sonko, averted contender

He is also one of the excluded candidates: Ousmane Sonko, imprisoned since this summer, was disqualified by the Constitutional Council for libel. Since 2021, Senegal has seen several episodes of unrest, looting and demonstrations caused by the standoff between this 49-year-old opponent of the system and the government. Riots that left dozens of people dead and led to hundreds of arrests.

Ousmane Sonko, the target of various legal proceedings that he described as a variety of ploys aimed at excluding him from the presidential race, was indicted and jailed in 2023 for incitement to insurrection, criminal association with a terrorist company, and attack on a state government. safety. His party, the African Patriots of Senegal for Labour, Ethics and Fraternity (Pastef), was dissolved. But he named a successor who would take over at election time.

Bassiru Diomaie Fay, anti-system “Plan B”

Ousmane Sonko introduced him as his “younger brother”, “more honest” and “extremely talented”. Bassirou Diomaie Faye, born in 1980 and a trained tax inspector, was nominated by a jailed opponent as Pastef’s presidential candidate. Problem: The latter has also been behind bars since 2023 on charges of contempt of court, defamation and acts likely to endanger public order. His arrest followed the publication of a message criticizing the justice system.

Prior to the announcement of the postponement of the presidential election, the candidate had in recent weeks established himself as a credible candidate to win, a nightmare scenario for the presidential camp. But questions remained about the terms of his campaign from prison while his candidacy was approved by the Constitutional Council.

On January 22, Bassirou Diomaie Fay also filed a petition for release, which was rejected by the court. A decision that infuriated the coalition supporting his candidacy. “The regime persists in its desire to infringe on the rights of any opponent,” she condemned.