Analysis - With multiple military coups in the region, signs that the presidential election in Senegal is back on track are being greeted with cautious optimism by some
With multiple military coups in the region, signs that the presidential election in Senegal is back on track are being greeted with cautious optimism by some
This article looks at how Senegal's presidential election crisis unfolded - and why it is seen as a test for ECOWAS, whose reputation for defending democracy has become tarnished in the eyes of many young, urban and disillusioned West Africans.For decades, Senegal has been admired as a cornerstone of democratic stability in West Africa and is respected across the continent for the solidity of its governing institutions.
At times in the past the court was accused of being weak and vulnerable to government pressure. But this year it has proved itself to an unbendable defender of constitutional democratic principles. Then in July 2023, the president announced that he would not, after all, seek a further term. The febrile mood calmed as the political class focused on gearing up to campaign for the first round of the election, which was set for 25 February 2024.
The country was poised on the verge of renewed confrontation and crisis. Consternation grew among Senegal's international partners. The US Senate Foreign Relations Committee warned that Sall was putting Senegal on a path to dictatorship. West Africa has seen six military coups in three years - in Guinea, Niger, Mali and Burkina Faso, with both Mali and Burkina each suffering two putsches.
ECOWAS' capacity to enforce compliance with its own standards is eroded by accusations of double standards. But the reformers and modernizers of two or three decades ago are the governing establishment of today, their standing often frayed by the compromises of wielding power and the influence of hangers-on and vested interests.Many young West Africans see ECOWAS as a complacent club of incumbent heads of state - one that is too reluctant to challenge those of their number who bend the rules or crack down on civil liberties.
In Guinea, press freedoms are under pressure, some key opposition figures have retreated abroad while the incumbent military leadership dominates the scene in the run up to the promised elections. Among the West African public, especially urban youth, disillusion with the conventional civilian political class spreads ever wider.
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