Democratic Instability in Senegal

Written by James Kessler | February 17, 2024

President Macky Sall

On February 3^rd Senegalese President Macky Sall canceled the upcoming elections just weeks before they were to take place on the 25^th. The ballot was postponed by Sall after citing a dispute between the legislative and judicial bodies concerning potential candidates who have been barred from running. Opponents and critics of Sall don’t consider this to be the truth, stating their belief that this is an “institutional coup,” Parliament reaffirmed the abrupt announcement only after opposition members were forcibly expelled from the National Assembly where debates over the legality of the decision were taking place. The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) sent a delegation to intervene, encouraging the government to reinstate the election. Since then, the Senegalese Constitutional Council has ruled that the move was unconstitutional and on February 16^th, Sall has pledged to organize elections “as soon as possible.” The news came as jailed opposition members were released from prison, likely as a way for Sall to win back public approval and quell national tensions. 

Reinstating elections puts Senegal back on track, but the initial delay has increased civil unrest in a nation that has until now been spared from the kind of instability that has been sweeping across Africa in what’s known as the coup belt. The young people of Senegal have been carrying out demonstrations to express their discontent with the government for some time now, calling it repressive and without opportunity. So far protests in the capital city of Dakar, Saint-Louis, and Zinguinchor have claimed the lives of at least three young people, while another 271 people have been arrested. The growing discontent in Senegal threatens what has been considered an island of stability in West Africa.