Last week was marked by a crucial stage in the race for the presidential election in Senegal. A number of candidates have successfully validated their sponsorships, while others have yet to review their list of sponsors. Some were even eliminated from the race.
Of the ninety-three candidates who submitted their applications, only nine managed to validate their sponsorships last week. The others must now go through a second round of control to correct the errors present on their sponsorship form. Among these errors, we find in particular external duplicates, that is to say names which are on the file of another candidate, as well as names which do not appear in the electoral file. The candidates concerned have until today, 5 p.m., to submit their new list to the Constitutional Council.
Some candidates hope to be able to quickly find the missing signatures, like Malick Gakou of the Grand Party, who must still find around 3,500 sponsors out of the 44,000 requested, or Idrissa Seck, former Prime Minister, who must find a little less than 6,000. For other candidates, the task is much more difficult. This is the case of gynecologist Rose Wardini, who must regularize 31,000 names, or even of former Prime Minister Aminata Touré, with 19,000 invalidated sponsors.
Some candidates have unfortunately had to face a direct rejection of their application, whether due to missing documents or an insufficient number of sponsors. Among them, heavyweights on the Senegalese political scene, such as former Prime Minister Cheikh Hadjibou Soumaré, President Macky Sall’s brother Adama Faye, Aida Mbodj, former minister, and opponent Ousmane Sonko.
The Constitutional Council now has until January 12 to complete the examination of the sponsorships, then until January 20 to examine all other documents, including the criminal record and the tax situation of the candidates.
This crucial stage in the race for the presidential election in Senegal demonstrates the complexity of the democratic process. Candidates must demonstrate rigor and seriousness to meet the requirements of the Constitutional Council. This new sponsorship update also highlights the major stakes of this election for the country. The Senegalese will have to choose their next president from a list of candidates who have successfully passed all the validation stages.