In Senegal, a new call to demonstrate this Wednesday, June 29 was launched by the main opposition coalition, Yewwi Askan Wi. Mobilizations banned by the administrative authorities, in Dakar, and in several cities of the country, in particular for “threats of disturbances to public order”. The political climate is tense ahead of the legislative elections scheduled for July 31 and is causing concern.
With our correspondent in Dakar,
For several weeks, political declarations and counter-declarations, sometimes virulent, have followed one another between the main coalitions of power and the opposition. For these legislative elections, 165 seats of deputies are at stake. A party will be elected by majority vote, on the departmental lists, another by proportional vote, on the national lists. But the Constitutional Council revoked the national list of holders of Yewwi Askan Wi. At the same time, he rejected the national list of substitutes for the presidential coalition, Benno Bokk Yaakaar, for lack of parity.
Starting point: an error on the list of Yewwi Askan Wi
Yewwi Askan Wi recognizes a “ careless mistake “In the making of the list, where the same person was invested twice, as a holder and as a substitute. Finally, the list of substitutes is validated, but not the list of holders. Ousmane Sonko, mayor of Ziguinchor, is therefore excluded from the race. A ” provocation ” according to him.
On June 7, following the decision of the Constitutional Council, he attacked the seven wise men. ” There are things that we can no longer accept in this country. In the name of the exercise of a profession, we allow ourselves to trample on the law, to trample on the Constitution, and to put the country in insecurity. Because what they did was a flagrant violation of the law. There is no more justice in this country “, he says.
Ousmane Sonko came third in the last presidential election of 2019. He is a declared candidate for that of 2024. Targeted by a complaint for rape by Adji Sarr, ex-employee of a massage parlour, he accuses the power of putting him under sticks in the wheels by all means. And this time, to prevent him from participating in the elections. Charges dismissed by the authorities.
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“The law is harsh, but it is law”
Interviewed on our antenna on June 9, President Macky Sall said he was relying on the electoral code. “ If you make a list that does not respect what the law says, it is simply eliminated. We, we were eliminated from our national list of substitutes, simply because there was an error of juxtaposition, even if it was equal. But it is the law. She’s tough, but that’s the law. »
The country’s two main political forces are sticking to their guns and accuse each other of fueling tensions. Faced with the impasse, civil society leaders and representatives of religious leaders have multiplied calls for dialogue. Some voices have also called for the legislative elections to be postponed, to start the process from scratch and thus take the time to organize peaceful elections. But for Aminata Touré, former Prime Minister and head of the national list of the ruling coalition Benno Bokk Yaakaar, the elections must be held on July 31.
« This new form of exercising politics through violence and force was recently introduced into the field by Yewwi (Askan Wi). Democracy is not the right for me alone, no! I think that Senegalese democracy is quite strong, quite rooted. As the elections approach in Senegal, the atmosphere is still a bit noisy, but I am hopeful that we will go to the elections normally “, she says to RFI.
In the background, the debate on a possible third term
These legislative elections are the last ballot before the next presidential election. Against the backdrop, the nagging debate over a possible third candidacy of Macky Sall in 2024, a question that systematically comes up in political conversations. Several times questioned on this question, the Head of State has always replied ” neither yes nor no ».
The opposition calls on its supporters to remain mobilized, the reasons for discontent overlap. The demonstrators express concerns regarding the high cost of living, unemployment or poor governance, and the protest takes different forms: an authorized demonstration of several thousand people in Dakar on June 8, rallies – this time prohibited by the authorities administrative – on the 17th, or even a concert of pots and whistles on June 22, before this new call for mobilization on Wednesday 29.
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Prohibited demonstrations and violence
On June 17, clashes between demonstrators and police left at least three dead, in Dakar and Casamance, in the south of the country. Several opposition leaders, including the deputies Déthié Fall and Mame Diarra Fam, as well as Ahmed Aïdara, the new mayor of the city of Guédiawaye, were arrested for defying the ban on demonstrations. They were released on Monday June 27. The administrative authorities had banned the last gatherings because of ” threat of public disorder », et of the « vviolation of the electoral code “, which prohibits any “ disguised propaganda » in the pre-campaign period.
In the midst of this showdown, the other political forces are trying to make their voices heard. In total, eight lists have been validated for the legislative elections: the Bokk Gis Gis / Liggey coalition, the Naataange askan wi coalition, the Alternative coalition for a Rupture Assembly, the Benno Bokk Yaakaar coalition, the Bunt Bi coalition, the Servants coalition , the grand coalition Wallu Senegal, and the coalition Yewwi Askan WI. The official campaign is due to open on July 10.
In the meantime, Yewwi Askan Wi officials have planned a statement this Wednesday morning, while gatherings have therefore been banned.
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