News & Events

On 6 March 2024, the Constitutional Council in Senegal issued a judgement that came as a huge relief to elected politicians and civil society campaigners right across West Africa.
It ruled that the election to choose a successor to the incumbent head of state Macky Sall must be held before the end of his term on 2 April. Even more significantly, the president immediately complied, abandoning plans to postpone the contest until June and announcing that the first-round vote would be on 24 March..

Progress of Pilot Programmes in Indonesia and Thailand

National turning point 

Promoting Fruit and Vegetable Consumption in Schools in Indonesia This was a critical victory for the institutions and rules that underpin Senegalese democracy. And it was welcome news for ECOWAS, the Economic Community of West African States, which has been struggling to defend the principles of multiparty politics and elected government after several military coups in the region..

For decades, Senegal has been admired as a cornerstone of democratic stability in West Africa and is respected across the continent for the solidity of its governing institutions. .

The past three years have been scarred by political tension, repeated and often lethal confrontations between protesters supporting the charismatic opponent Ousmane Sonko and the security forces, and the shrinkage of civil liberties, with hundreds of mostly young demonstrators thrown into jail..

For much of that time, Sall appeared determined to stand for a third term of office, exploiting claimed flexibility in term limit rules. His most charismatic challenger, Sonko, who has a huge youth following, was embroiled in legal controversies and was often detained..

Then in July 2023, the president announced that he would not, after all, seek a further term. The febrile mood calmed as the political class focused on gearing up to campaign for the first round of the election, which was set for 25 February 2024..

Shocking turn of events – A high turnout was on the cards. Expectations mounted that an opposition challenger would triumph over Sall’s rather staid chosen successor candidate, the now former prime minister, Amadou Ba. .

Then suddenly, on 3 February, Sall stopped the clock on the election countdown.

The president claimed the delay was necessary, to allow time for a parliamentary inquiry into allegations against the Constitutional Council – which regulates elections – after it had rejected the planned candidacy of Karim Wade, standard-bearer of the Parti démocratique sénégalais (PDS – Senegalese Democratic Party)..