Senegal is preparing to start a decisive national dialogue from May 28, relating to the reform of the national political system. The objective is to initiate a significant overhaul of the country’s political landscape. This dialogue, centered on the theme of the “political system”, will aim to deal with several crucial aspects such as the reform of the electoral system, the status of the opposition and the rationalization of political parties. However, unanimity is lacking since part of the opposition, in particular the Republic Party of Values/Reewum Ngor led by Thierno Alassane Sall, chose not to participate.
The President of the Republic, Bassirou Diomaye Faye, summoned these national consultations which will take place from May 28 to June 4. Under the facilitation of Dr. Cheikh Dieng, discussions aim to consolidate reconciliation between citizens and their institutions, strengthen national consensus and appease the current political climate. Many participants are expected: members of the opposition, actors of civil society, international partners, representatives of professional sectors and traditional leaders.
The reforms envisaged are large. They include the “revision of the sponsorship system”, the examination of the “role of the authorities in charge of elections and the media” or “the rationalization of the republican calendar”. A highlighting on the “status of the opposition and its leader” and the improvement of the “electoral process” are also among the priorities. Furthermore, “the supervision of funding for political parties” and the “revision of the Senegalese electoral code” will also be on the agenda.
-Strengthening the prime minister and the creation of a new constitutional court could also be addressed. During a recent public declaration, President Bassirou Diomaye Faye said he was in favor of the increase in powers devoted to the Prime Minister. He had expressed his desire for a collaborative executive, saying: “I prefer to have a pool of decisions with the strengthening of the powers of the Prime Minister”. In addition, the need to migrate to a new institutional organization has been underlined, with in particular the envisaged creation of a constitutional court.
However, the opposition is not unanimous to join the call to dialogue. While the Republic Party of Values believes that “the conditions for a useful and sincere dialogue are not met”, the front for the defense of democracy and the Republic (FDR) also poses its conditions. The FDR declares that it will not engage in an initiative which would aim to abusively transfer the executive power to a Prime Minister to the enlarged prerogatives. The Alliance for the Republic of former President Macky Sall has not yet taken an official position.
This information was initially reported by our colleagues from South Daily, highlighting the challenges and tensions around this crucial period for the political future of Senegal.
