the plan of Bassirou Diomaye Diakhar Faye

In his end-of-year speech to the nation, Tuesday December 31, 2024, Senegalese President Bassirou Diomaye Diakhar Faye addressed the crucial issue of the proliferation of political parties in Senegal, citing the need to rationalize this political landscape.

The Head of State, responding to a call from the population expressed during the last elections, highlighted the “noted inflation of political parties”, which he attributes to too flexible application of existing laws. According to the president, this excessive fragmentation harms the quality of Senegalese democracy. He thus announced future consultations aimed at bringing more clarity, transparency and order to the country’s political system, as reported by our colleagues at Sud Quotidien.

This problem of the proliferation of parties is not new. Senegal went from four parties under Senghor to 45 under Diouf, then to 188 under Wade and finally to 339 under Macky Sall. This explosion has erased ideological distinctions, often transforming political engagement into the pursuit of personal interests. On the eve of the elections, the debate on the rationalization of parties and their financing systematically resurfaces.

The laws governing parties, notably Law No. 81-17 of 1981, amended in 1989 to prohibit foreign financing, have never been updated to respond to contemporary challenges. Many political groups, having no real activity, continue to proliferate, often without holding congresses or providing their financial reports, a situation mentioned in the Sud Quotidien report on the subject.

President Diakhar Faye also, on April 3, announced a series of reforms, including the rationalization of parties and the administration of registration in the electoral register linked to the creation of the identity document. To achieve these objectives, it provides for broad consultations with the political sphere and civil society.