CDD Condemns Postponement of Presidential Election in Senegal

The Centre for Democracy and Development (CDD West Africa) unequivocally condemns the postponement of the highly anticipated presidential election in Senegal, which was originally scheduled for 25 February. Apart from disrupting the timeline for the conduct of elections, this decision represents a clear violation of the rule of law and the democratic rights of the Senegalese people. We therefore urge the Senegalese government to respect the sanctity of the democratic process.

Elections are the foundation of democracy, allowing citizens to exercise their right to choose their leaders. Given this postponement, CDD West Africa underscores the utmost importance of upholding the rule of law, transparency, credibility, and fairness. As the relevant actors engage through dialogue to recover from this setback for Senegalese democracy, we call on all actors to put the overall interest of Senegal first. Senegal has for decades been a bastion of stability exemplifying the possibility of democratic consolidation in the West Africa sub-region.

Additionally, we call upon ECOWAS and the African Union to actively engage with all the stakeholder in Senegal in resolving this crisis swiftly and peacefully, thereby restoring the integrity of the Senegalese electoral process and avoiding any further disruptive actions, which could undermine the democracy.

We strongly urge all political actors in Senegal, and President Macky Sall above all, to prioritize dialogue and display exceptional statesmanship to prevent the country from descending into turmoil. We similarly express our concern about the attempted disruption of mobile internet services and the closure of certain media outlets following the public outcry against the postponement of the elections.

Signed:

CDD West Africa Management