18 Interesting Facts and Figures about the 2024 Senegal Presidential Election

Photo Credit: Reuters

The delayed Senegal presidential election is finally coming off on Sunday 24th March. The election, initially scheduled for February 25th was abruptly postponed by President Macky Sall in an announcement on February 3rd over a supposed dispute over the candidates list.

Earlier, the Constitutional Council cleared 20 candidates to contest the February 25 election. The list excluded some prominent names including Karim Wade, son of former president Abdoulaye Wade and detained opposition leader Ousmane Sonko.

Sall’s decision was overturned by Constitutional Council of Senegal. Voting was eventually scheduled for March 24 after other dates were equally rejected by the council.

The people of Senegal will be putting this political impasse behind them as they vote to elect their next leader after Macky Sall.

Here are some interesting facts and figures to know ahead of the vote.

1. This election will be the first in Senegal’s history without the incumbent president contesting.

2. Senegal employs a dual election management system where the election is conducted by the Directorate General of Elections (DGE) and monitored by the Autonomous National Electoral Commission (CENA).

3. 7,372,110 million voters home and abroad are expected to vote in the election.

4. Voting will begin at 8 am local time and end at 6pm.

5. Voting will take place in a total of 15,633 polling stations home and abroad.

6. Voting will take place in 809 polling stations diplomatic and consular offices abroad in 51 countries.

7. Provisional results are expected to be released latest by March 29.

8. The presidential term was reduced from 7 to 5 years through a referendum in 2016.

9. Senegal is seeing its first and only female presidential candidate in Anta Babacar Ngom after more than a decade.

10. Senegal is the only West African country which has never experienced a coup d'état.

11. 19 presidential candidates have been cleared to contest the elections with only one female candidate.

12. This year’s list of presidential candidates, 19, is the longest list of candidates in the history of Senegal’s presidential elections.

13. Senegal conducts presidential elections using the two-round system. This means the election will enter a second round (runoff) if none of the candidates obtain more than 50% of the vote in the first round.

14. To be eligible to vote, an individual must be 18 years and above, be a citizen of Senegal and must have registered to vote. Naturalized citizens who do not hold any other nationality as well as foreigners who have acquired Senegalese citizenship by marriage, unless opposed by government decree can also partake in voting.

15. This is the first time elections have been postponed in Senegal

16. Prime Minister Amadou Ba who has been “anointed” by Macky Sall as his successor and Sonko-backed Bassirou Diomaye Faye are considered two frontrunners in a very crowded field.

17. 3 people have died in pre-election mass protests after Macky Sall unilaterally postponed the election.

18. Both Bassirou Faye and Sonko, whose coalition is considered the main opposition frontrunners were only released from prison a little over a week to voting day.

Follow the African Elections Project on Facebook and Twitter @Africanelection for more updates.