Senegal - The African Mirror

Mar

2024

Senegal opposition leader backs off promise to create national currency

SENEGAL will seek to implement a reform of the West Africa region's CFA franc currency at a regional level first and if that fails, will consider creating a national currency, opposition leader Ousmane Sonko said. Speaking at a joint press conference with presidential candidate Bassirou Diomaye Faye a day after they were both released from jail, Sonko's comments seemed aimed at easing concerns after their election campaign, which promised to introduce the new currency if Faye wins. Faye is one of the main candidates in Senegal's March 24 presidential election. He is backed by the popular firebrand Sonko, who was disqualified from…

Mar

2024

By SOFIA CHRISTENSEN and BATE FELIX

Freed from jail, Senegal opposition presidential candidate draws hundreds to first event

NEWS

A day after his release from jail, Senegal opposition leader Bassirou Diomaye Faye drew hundreds of supporters at his first public appearance as a presidential contender for the March 24 elections, promising to tackle corruption. Next to him, the popular firebrand opposition leader Ousmane Sonko urged supporters to vote for his ally. "We have an election to win. We have lost too much time," Sonko, also released from prison on Thursday, said at a joint news briefing. Firebrand Sonko - who was seen as the key challenger to President Macky Sall's ruling party - threw his support behind Faye after being disqualified over…

Mar

2024

By BATE FELIX and NGOUDA DIONE

Thousands celebrate release of jailed Senegal opposition leaders

NEWS

SENEGALESE opposition firebrand Ousmane Sonko and the presidential candidate he is backing in the March 24 election, Bassirou Diomaye Faye, were released from prison, state broadcaster RTS said on its website. Their release had been expected after parliament passed an amnesty law on March 6 as the authorities sought to ease tensions following their thwarted bid to postpone the vote by 10 months. RTS did not give further details, and it was not immediately clear where the pair were after their release. Thousands of supporters massed in Dakar, the capital, to celebrate the news, chanting Sonko's name on the gridlocked street where…

Mar

2024

By The African Mirror

Campaign for jailed Senegal election candidate Faye takes to the road

NEWS

BACKERS of detained opposition presidential candidate Bassirou Diomaye Faye are taking his campaign to the streets of Senegal with posters and bracelets, drumming up support in the hope he will be released before the vote. Faye was relatively unknown within Senegal's tumultuous political scene until popular firebrand opposition leader Ousmane Sonko backed his candidacy for the March 24 vote. Sonko, who enjoys widespread support among Senegal's jobless youths, is also in detention and disqualified from the race over a defamation conviction. Sonko denies any wrongdoing. Faye, who is facing charges including defamation and contempt of court, remains eligible because there has been…

Mar

2024

By The African Mirror

Senegal opposition coalition promises new currency and revamp of oil contracts

NEWS

A Senegalese opposition coalition backed by popular firebrand Ousmane Sonko launched its presidential campaign platform on Saturday with promises to create a new national currency and renegotiate mining and energy contracts. There are no public election opinion polls in Senegal, but the coalition's candidate, Bassirou Diomaye Faye, is seen as a strong contender among the 19 candidates vying for the presidency in the March 24 vote. If he is elected, the coalition's plans could have significant implications for the eight-nation West African Economic and Monetary Union and for Senegal's plans to become an oil producer later this year. "Convinced that full independence…

Mar

2024

By The African Mirror

Senegal kicks off short election campaign after poll delays

NEWS

SENEGALESE presidential candidates launched their shortened campaigns, two days after a court confirmed the election would be held on March 24, ending weeks of uncertainty and kick-starting a competition that remains wide open. Tensions have gripped the country since early February, when a bid by President Macky Sall to postpone by 10 months a vote that had been due to take place on February 25 provoked widespread protests and warnings by critics of democratic backsliding. Senegal, a country of 18 million, is normally one of West Africa's most stable democracies. The worst of the crisis appears to be over after the Constitutional Council…

Mar

2024

By The African Mirror

Who are the main candidates in Senegal’s presidential election?

NEWS

SENEGAL heads to the polls on March 24 to choose a successor to President Macky Sall who is not seeking a third term. For the first time in the West African nation's history, the incumbent is not on the ballot. His hand-picked successor, Prime Minister Amadou Ba, who was relieved of his duties on Wednesday ahead of the campaigning, is among 19 candidates cleared by Senegal's constitutional council to run. To avoid a runoff, a candidate must secure over 50% of the vote. Campaigning is likely to start in the coming days. Following are the profiles of the main contenders: PRIME MINISTER…

Mar

2024

By DIADIE BA and BATE FELIX

Senegal schedules presidential election for March 24

NEWS

SENEGALESE President Macky Sall has scheduled a delayed presidential election for March 24, the government said after a top court ruled that a proposal to hold the vote after his mandate expires on April 2 was unconstitutional. The announcement caps a dramatic evening that saw Sall dissolve the government and replace Prime Minister Amadou Ba with Interior Minister Sidiki Kaba so that Ba, the ruling coalition's presidential candidate, can focus on his electoral campaign, the presidency said. Earlier the Constitutional Council ruled that a proposal from a national dialogue commission for the vote to be held on June 2 was…

Mar

2024

By NGOUDA DIONE and ALESSANDRA PRENTICE

Senegal election crisis shakes support for Macky Sall’s coalition

NEWS

WRITER Moustapha Gueye voted for Senegalese President Macky Sall in the last two elections. But disappointment in Sall's second term and the president's thwarted attempt to postpone the next vote have shaken Gueye's allegiance to the ruling Benno Bokk Yakaar (BBY) coalition. Reclining on a sofa at his home in Dakar, Gueye said he was saddened that Sall's presidency had culminated in a bitter electoral tussle with the opposition and in unrest that has dented Senegal's reputation as one of West Africa's more stable nations. "These are domestic issues that Senegal should have grown out of," he said. Sall's shock decision to issue a decree delaying…

Mar

2024

By The African Mirror

About 20 migrants die in shipwreck off Senegal’s coast

NEWS

ABOUT 20 migrants died this week when their boat capsized off the coast of northern Senegal, Prime Minister Amadou Ba said. The migrant support service Alarm Phone said on X that the boat had been carrying around 300 people before it capsized on Wednesday near the city of Saint-Louis and that some made it to shore while others were still missing. Thousands of people leave the coast of West Africa every year on a perilous journey to try to reach Europe, and the full number of deaths at sea is unknown. Senegal mourned several deadly incidents last year, including one…