Senegal’s top constitutional authority has ruled in favor of Prime Minister, Ousmane Sonko’s candidacy in the upcoming parliamentary elections, dismissing an appeal from an opposition coalition challenging his eligibility.
The Takku Wallu Senegal coalition, led by former president, Macky Sall, argued that Sonko was disqualified due to his June 2023 conviction, where he was sentenced in absentia to two years in prison for “corrupting youth.”
However, in a ruling published late Thursday, the Constitutional Council deemed the appeal “inadmissible,” noting that only the interior minister can raise a case regarding a candidate’s eligibility, which had not been done in this instance.
Senegal is set to hold snap parliamentary elections on November 17, following President Bassirou Diomaye Faye’s decision to dissolve the opposition-controlled national assembly in September.
Ousmane Sonko and Macky Sall had been at the center of a political standoff from 2021 to 2023, leading to widespread unrest and the loss of many lives. Sonko spent over seven months in prison during Sall’s presidency and was ultimately barred from participating in the March presidential election.
Faye, Sonko’s former deputy, was elected president with more than 54% of the vote, promising a significant break from the previous administration.
The Constitutional Council also approved the candidacy of opposition leader Barthelemy Dias, the mayor of Dakar, despite his 2011 conviction for homicide.
