It’s a step forward. Sponsorship, as known in Senegal, will no longer be a reality at the end of the dialogue with the forces vives of the Nation. A consensus has been reached. From now on, each candidate will need 0.8% of the list, instead of the 1% previously required.

A consensus was reached by all the political actors who took part in the dialogue. Sponsorship, if not deleted, will be reduced. Indeed, this filtering came into force during the 2019 presidential elections, requiring each candidate to have at least 53,000 signatures (0.8%), and at most 67,000 (1%) signatures of registered voters. on the electoral roll. This will no longer be the case. An agreement has been reached. Now, each candidate is required to have between 0.6% and 0.8%. Apart from the number of sponsors, the whole system remains intact. To this end, the candidate who wishes to run for the 2024 presidential election in Senegal will have to travel the whole country, because indeed, for the sponsorships to be valid, they will have to come from at least seven different regions, with 2000 sponsors in at least each of the regions of Senegal.

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While waiting for this decision to be ratified, the actors will have plenty of time to look for sponsors, because we are less than 8 months from the Presidential.

Need we remind you, the sponsorship system has caused a lot of ink to flow. Indeed, a section of the opposition felt that it was done purposely to dismiss political leaders. An idea that is close to the official version. Indeed, the observed plethora of candidates has prompted the government to tighten the conditions for participation in an election.

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During the modification of the Electoral Code to integrate this generalized sponsorship, clashes were noted in Dakar. Finally, the majority knew how to impose it. However, the opponents did not drop the case, although it showed its evidence by limiting the candidates in 2019. The ECOWAS Court of Justice who was seized for this purpose asked for a reform of the sponsorship.

Another grievance, many opposition leaders have posed as a condition of participation in the dialogue, the abolition of sponsorship.

By Malick GAYE / mgaye@lequotidien.sn

  • Translation by Ndey T. SOSSEH