By Africa 24 op-ed

Senegal’s elections are to be held March 24 this year with incumbent president Macky Sall preparing to take off the seat of power.

Senegalese are anxiously and ready to go to Sunday’s polls but with sad memories of the deaths of about 40 civilians being killed while many political opponents locked in jail since 2021 in protest to refuse President Sall’s aim to stretch his stay in power.

Mr Sall had announced for elections to be postponed which were supposed to have been conducted February.

But an amnesty rule and a constitutional court judgment overruled Macky Sall’s favoured parliamentary vote that would have allowed the president to extend his term in office.

On the postponement by Mr Sall, critics say the decision by him amount to a “constitutional coup for Sall to get a third mandate.”

Amadou Bah, Senegal’s former Prime Minister and Minister of Finance and Economic Planning, is replacing president Macky Sall under the Alliance of the Republic party.

The former prime minister is strongly backed by the incumbent president.

If Mr Bah wins the coming polls, it would mean policy continuity with the previous administration of president Macky Sall, political analysts have said.

Ousmane Sonko, a presidential aspirant and main challenger of Amadou Bah, and a strong opponent of the incumbent president, had handpicked Bassirou Diomaye Faye to run on the ticket of presidency.

Sonko who has been enjoying overwhelming majority of the voters was jailed by Macky Sall for influencing rowdy Senegalese youth to cause violence protests lately.

He is held down by a court for a separate crime related to state corruption thus refusing him to contest the election in spite of his popularity.

Sierra Leone’s situation is not too different. Protesters calling for a regime change before elections in June had been shot dead by police.

And the election last year in June 24, won by incumbent President Maada Bio against his opponent Dr Samura Kamara, is contested by the opposition party, APC and currently a tripartite committee is hearing the election outcome.

The opposition said then it did not have trust in the judiciary.

In their long-list of issues highlighted, the opposition claimed complaints on the sitting government treatment of them had not been looked into by the judiciary.

If Senegal freely and fairly holds her election on Sunday March 24, the country stands to be recognized as a beacon of light where the rule of law and justice on democracy, better but not most, prevail.