The 24th March 2024 presidential election was preceded over by the most eventful developments in the politics of Senegal characterized by a mixture of uncertainty and hope. Eventually hope prevailed and the Senegalese people went to the polls with coalitions serving the purpose of political inclusion and those who would have been disenfranchised.
Despite the setting aside of certain legal and constitutional requirements, consensus was built to hold election before the expiry of the mandate of the sitting president.
As exclusive as the pre-campaign period was, it was a surprise to many that the voting went smoothly and the result came out with phenomenal speed before the dawn of the 25th of March. Every informed Senegalese knew who won in the first round. The key source of post voting conflict and instability is contestation of results by leading candidates. The acknowledgement of the results by former prime minister, Amadou Ba, and the extension of congratulatory message to his opponent, Bassirou Diomaye Faye, put an end to any uncertainty and suspense while waiting for the official results to be declared.
Senegal has shown that democracy guarantees the peaceful transfer of power based on the consent of the people. It is at variance with change of power through the barrel of the gun as has happened in Mali, Guinea, Niger and Burkina Faso. Senegal now serves as a beacon of hope that democracy would prevail on the continent.
What is important now is to link democracy with development. That is the challenge for the new leadership in Senegal. The whole of West Africa and Africa will accompany them on their quest to rely on democracy to bring about sustainable development to eradicate poverty once and for all.
