Senegal elections 2024: what you need to know

Why are these elections important?

It should have been one of the most boring polls in Africa.

Senegal, with a thriving economy, is seen as a stable, safe country – no small feat in West Africa, where coups, crises and uprisings abound. A president who is considered a steady hand resigns after two terms. A candidate pool mainly comes from the political old guard.

But then the president, Macky Sall, blew up any chance of a run-of-the-mill election. He went on state television and canceled the vote, alleging corruption in the way candidates were approved by the constitutional court.

In the uproar that followed, Mr Sall backtracked and said the vote would go ahead on March 24, nine days before his term ends. And then he dramatically released the leading opposition candidate and the leader of the opposition party from prison.

Who’s running?

The ruling party’s candidate is Amadou Ba, a former prime minister. The man many see as the main challenger, Bassirou Diomaye Faye, has just been released from prison. He is supported by a popular but divisive politician, Ousmane Sonko. Then there are seventeen other candidates, including former mayors and prime ministers.

But what’s more important is who isn’t running. That would be Mr Sonko, who cannot participate because he has been convicted corrupting a minor, in a scandal involving a young massage parlor employee who accused him of rape. Mr. Sonko is the main opponent of Mr. Sall, a (relatively) young former tax inspector who has dominated politics in Senegal lately, mainly by criticizing elites and promising to help Senegal’s unemployed youth.

Mr. Sonko has many critics. But many young Senegalese say he speaks truth to power, and they have repeatedly taken to the streets in his defense despite the risk death at the hands of the police. He was released from prison along with Mr Faye on Thursday evening.

The other important figure who cannot run is Karim Wade, son of former President Abdoulaye Wade, who tried to stay in power in 2012 but was defeated by Mr Sall. The younger Wade, who is French-Senegalese, is barred from running because he did not renounce his French citizenship when he applied. That’s what caused the whole uproar and led to Mr. Sall canceling the election in the first place.

What are the most important issues?

The economy is great; most Senegalese say the economic situation is bad and its management is the main problem facing the government, according to Afrobarometer, an independent research network. The economy is growing, but more than 36 percent of the people live there poverty.

This is almost a third of young people without work, and many have set their sights on reaching Europe or America to try to improve their prospects. Thousands take boats to the Canary Islands, dangerous desert roads towards the Mediterranean or, most recently, circuitous routes by plane, bus or on foot to Central America.

When will the results be released?

The results of the first round should be known about a week after the elections this Sunday, but many analysts expect a second round. The last time that happened, the second round took place about a month after the first round. Mr Sall says he will leave office on April 2, and if there is a second round, the Constitutional Council says, the head of the national assembly, Amadou Mame Diop, should take over in the meantime.

Who is most likely to win?

Almost certainly a former tax inspector. Mr Ba, who resigned as prime minister to focus on what must be one of the shortest political campaigns, is a former tax inspector. This also applies to Mr Faye, who is not well known but has a good chance of winning simply because he has been anointed by Mr Sonko.

Neither Mr Ba nor Mr Faye are particularly well-liked in Senegal, and neither is expected to win by a landslide. But if the election goes to a runoff, many analysts say it will be a choice between the two.