Sudden Twist: Senegal’s Presidential Race Shakes as Opposition Figure Ousmane Sonko Vanishes from Candidate List
Dakar, Senegal
On Saturday, Senegal’s Constitutional Council released the ultimate roster of 20 contenders for the presidential election scheduled for February 25. Notably absent from the list are Ousmane Sonko, the incarcerated opposition leader, and Karim Wade, the son of former president Abdoulaye Wade.
The individuals mentioned in the list comprise Prime Minister Amadou Ba, who was selected by President Macky Sall to succeed him following Sall’s decision in July not to pursue a third term.
Former prime ministers and adversaries Idrissa Seck and Mahammed Boun Abdallah Dionne were also mentioned, along with Khalifa Sall, the former mayor of Dakar, and Bassirou Diomaye Diakhar Faye, who was introduced as an alternative candidate for Sonko.
Faye, aged 43 and affiliated with Sonko’s disbanded political party, is presently in custody but has not undergone a trial yet.
Sonko, the candidate who secured the third position in the presidential election of 2019, has been embroiled in a prolonged and contentious dispute with the government for over two years, leading to frequent and sometimes fatal social disturbances.
The 49-year-old political figure from the opposition has gained a devoted support base among disillusioned young people in Senegal, resonating with his pan-African ideals and firm position against the former colonial ruler, France.
In June, Sonko was handed a two-year prison sentence for corrupting the morals of a minor.
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He has been in custody since late July on different allegations, such as incitement to insurrection, collaboration with terrorist organizations, and posing a threat to state security.
He refuted the accusations, asserting that they were designed to hinder his participation in the upcoming February election.
The list of candidates that has been made public features two female individuals: Rose Wardini, a gynecologist, and Anta Babacar Ngom, an entrepreneur. Karim Wade, who held a ministerial position during his father’s tenure, has been disqualified from candidacy by the Constitutional Council due to the “inadmissible” status of his dual French and Senegalese nationality.
As per the constitution, individuals running for the presidency must possess only Senegalese citizenship and be between the ages of 35 and 75 at the time of the election.
With only a month remaining, complete uncertainty surrounds the results of Senegal’s upcoming two-round election, marking the country’s first election without the involvement of the departing president.
Sall, who was elected president in 2012 for a term of seven years and secured re-election in 2019, announced in July that he would not seek another term.
Sudden Twist: Senegal’s Presidential Race Shakes as Opposition Figure Ousmane Sonko Vanishes from Candidate List