A sign of their sensitive nature and their ability to ignite the Senegalese streets, the discussions took place in the greatest secrecy. Neither journalist to glean information in the corridors, nor outside observer to record the debates… the rooms of the immense Abdou Diouf conference center in Diamniadio, the new town located around thirty kilometers from the capital of Senegal, were inaccessible to foreign to the national dialogue.
Dozens of politicians, religious leaders, members of civil society and trade unionists came together to try to put an end to the serious political crisis in which the country has been plunged since the announcement three weeks ago by the President Macky Sall of the postponement of the February 25 presidential election. A perilous challenge, when most of the candidates boycotted this meeting.
We had to wait until the end of the day on Tuesday February 27 and the close of this political high mass for the Senegalese people’s long-awaited date to be known. Participants in the national dialogue propose that the presidential election be organized on June 2.
New ballot “as soon as possible”
A much closer deadline than that of December 15 which had been set for a time by the deputies, before the Constitutional Council canceled the change of calendar and demanded that a new ballot be organized ” as soon as possible “ by the competent authorities. Instead, the head of state decided to convene a national dialogue.
“We proposed June 2 because before this date, we have Ramadan, Korité and Lent. These are religious periods which are not conducive to an electoral campaign” explains Djibril Wade, former MP and special advisor to the president on legal matters. Macky Sall, for his part, wanted voters to be called to the polls “before wintering”that is to say before the rainy season which begins in July.
It was also decided that the initial list of nineteen candidates validated by the constitutional council be retained, but by introducing a form of draft – even though the court’s decisions theoretically do not allow for appeal. The files of failed candidates will thus be re-examined, and some could ultimately compete.
“We also retained the general re-examination of dual nationalities, even for the nineteen who were retained”, specifies Magatte Sy, national secretary in charge of elections of the Senegalese Democratic Party (PDS), whose candidate Karim Wade was rejected for renouncing his French nationality too late. The constitution indicates that candidates must be exclusively of Senegalese nationality.
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