On Wednesday evening, President Macky Sall chaired discussions on the country’s political situation.
With eight months to go before the February 25, 2024 presidential election, the nation’s driving forces (political parties, civil society organizations, religious and traditional leaders, etc.) responded to the President’s call for dialogue against a backdrop of high tensions.
In the assumed absence of Ousmane Sonko, who is awaiting the verdict of his trial for “rape and death threats” on June 1, Idrissa Seck, a declared candidate in the presidential election, praised the record of he current Head of State before setting out his expectations for the outcome of the dialogue: “a strengthened democracy, a clear, free, transparent and inclusive election, indisputable results that reflect the exact expression of the will and choice of the people, who alone are entitled to decide to whom they entrust their mandate.”
For his part, Khalifa Ababacar Sall reaffirmed his commitment to the opposition coalition Yewwi Askan Wi (Liberate the People, in Wolof local language), saying that he has always understood that negotiations are the way out of complicated situations. In addition, the former mayor of Dakar called for the issue of the 3rd presidential term, sponsorship and changes to the Election Code to be included on the debate menu.
The Senegalese Democratic Party (PDS), in a speech read by MP Nafissatou Diallo, underlined “the breakdown of trust between the players and strong divergences on the rules of the political game” and identified “populist discourse, verbal and physical violence, identity-based withdrawal, communitarianism, the use of unconventional
weapons, the exacerbation of the crisis in the party system, the violation of human rights, the use of the State for political ends” as “real threats to democracy, peace and stability.”
Dethie Faye, coordinator of the ‘Pole des Non-Alignes’ (Pole of Non-Aligned), noted that “what was in the past, considered impossible to happen in Senegal is today proving to be a strong possibility, which is instilling fear of the future in all segments of our society.”
Lawyer Amadou Sall from the ruling majority urged everyone not to lose sight of the nation’s higher interest, and condemned attacks on homes and the destruction of other people’s property. Aymerou Gningue, for his part, warned of the danger of “weakening institutions” and praised his leader for having always been open to dialogue.
Mamadou Faye of the Parti Socialiste (PS, ruling majority), Macky Sall’s ally, felt that “the government and the opposition have an obligation to agree on the essentials in order to consolidate the democracy that characterizes Senegal.” Nicolas Ndiaye of the ‘Ligue Democratique/Mouvement pour le Parti du Travail’ (LD/MPT, ruling
majority) called for “consensus-building” in the tradition of the nation’s founding fathers.
In his concluding remarks, President Macky Sall praised the “diversity of points of view” and specified that “the dialogue will have to be organized around commissions” after “the finalization of the terms of reference by the end of this weekend.” In his view, it is quite possible to reach conclusions “during the month of June,” so that the
necessary steps can be taken to make the measures effective.
ID/ac/fss/abj/APA