The Demise of Senegalese Democracy

The Africanist Podcast

In this conversation, Michelle Gavin (CFR), Rachel Beatty Riedl (Cornell University) and Bamba Ndiaye (Emory University) discuss the ongoing political crisis in Senegal. "On Saturday, February 3, Senegalese president Macky Sall informed the nation that he was postponing the presidential election scheduled for February 25. The move was necessary, he claimed, to prevent “a new crisis” from erupting over an ongoing conflict between the judiciary and parliament. It was a stunning and unexpected decree, roundly denounced by trade unions, religious institutions, the press, and citizens alike. It is also the culmination of the acute democratic backsliding that has characterized Senegal since the beginning of Sall’s second term in 2019. If unchecked, this constitutional putsch undeniably marks the demise of Senegalese democracy. Days before Sall’s weekend announcement, lawmakers from the Senegalese Democratic Party (PDS) and the ruling Benno Bok Yakkar (BBY) coalition accused two Constitutional Court judges of corruption. They allege that BBY’s presidential candidate, Prime Minister Amadou Ba, bribed two judges to eliminate a political opponent, PDS candidate Karim Wade, from the race."

Music: Mackycratie by Keur Gui Crew

Selected readings:

"The Demise of Senegalese Democracy" by Bamba Ndiaye

Restaurer la République (Texte collectif)

"Making Sense of Senegal's Constitution" by Catherine Lena Kelly

"Senegal's "Unraveling": President's Delay of Election Is Latest in String of Anti-Democratic Actions" www.democracynow.org