Senegal’s constitutional council on Saturday released a final list of 20 candidates for February’s presidential election that excluded opposition leader Ousmane Sonko and Karim Wade, the son of former president Abdoulaye Wade, Reuters reports.
President Macky Sall will hand over power after ruling out a third term in July, ending lengthy speculation that helped fuel some of the deadliest violence in the normally stable West African nation’s modern history.
The council’s list of approved candidates includes Sall’s hand-picked successor, Prime Minister Amadou Ba, former Dakar mayor Khalifa Sall, and former prime minister Idrissa Seck.
It said opposition firebrand Sonko’s bid was ineligible due to a suspended sentence linked to a defamation case.
Sonko, 49, has been battling various court cases since 2021 and the authorities deny his accusations they are politically motivated, although public backlash to his treatment has fuelled unrest.
The Feb. 25 contest is the first since Senegal’s independence in which an incumbent president does not seek re-election after serving two terms.
Peoplesmind
