Neither incumbent Macky Sall nor rival Ousmane Sonko is on the ballot in Senegal’s presidential election Sunday.
Supporters of the ruling party coalition of Senegalese presidential candidate Amadou Ba take part in a campaign caravan in Guédiawaye on Thursday. DAKAR, Senegal — Voters in Senegal will cast their ballots Sunday in what is among the most wide-open elections in the country’s history, following months of uncertainty about when the election would take place and who would be allowed to run.
For the first time in Senegal’s history, the incumbent president is not on the ballot. Instead, the top contenders in the field of 19 candidates include President Macky Sall’s handpicked successor, Amadou Ba, a former prime minister; and Bassirou Diomaye Faye, a former tax collector.
If no candidate wins more than 50 percent of the vote Sunday, then a runoff election will be held next month.In that context, Senegal — a coastal nation of 18 million — had become an increasingly important Western ally and bright spot for democracy. Since its independence from France in 1960, Senegal has had four transitions of power and no military takeovers.
But in recent years, Sall’s legacy has been marred by the increasing repression. Senegal dropped 55 places to 104th on the World Press Freedom Index compiled by Reporters Without Borders between 2021 and 2023. Sall has also been widely criticized for not ruling out a third term earlier; for his treatment of Sonko, who was under house arrest for months before being freed under the amnesty deal; and the decision to delay the elections.
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