Mr. Nabieu adds, “The unilateral announcement by the President of the delay and expulsion of opposition lawmakers, provides very little room for optimism that Senegal will actually hold a free and fair election under President Sall.”
Mr. Nabieu faults the Senegalese government for arresting opposition members, who were among protesters following President Sall’s announcement, saying they ought to “be released unconditionally and allowed to fully participate in the political process.”
“The Africa Faith and Justice Network therefore urges the government of Senegal to ensure the safety of all its citizens (including peaceful protesters) to freely exercise their democratic rights and to prevent additional election-related violence,” AFJN Executive Director says.
Tension has been mounting in Senegal following the Constitutional Council’s decision to exclude several candidates from the election, including opposition figures Ousmane Sonko and Karim Wade.
In July 2023, President Sall announced that he would not be seeking re-election in the Presidential elections, explaining that “Senegal is more than me, and is full of capable leaders for the country's development."
On February 6, members of the National Laity Council (CNL) in Senegal disapproved the decision to postpone the polls saying they are in “total disagreement with this decision, the consequences of which could lead Senegal into an uncertain future.”
They added, “This unprecedented decision, which runs counter to Senegal's legendary democratic tradition, entails real risks of instability and is a matter of grave concern for our organization.”
On February 4, Archbishop Benjamin Ndiaye of Senegal’s Dakar Archdiocese said he was “baffled by what's going on” in the country, and described President Sall’s announcement to post the presidential polls as a “technique of circumvention”.
“When there is a rule, it's so that it can be followed, not so that we can pass to the right or to the left,” Archbishop Ndiaye told journalists during the February 4 press conference.
Magdalene Kahiu is a Kenyan journalist with passion in Church communication. She holds a Degree in Social Communications from the Catholic University of Eastern Africa (CUEA). Currently, she works as a journalist for ACI Africa.
