On the eve of the legislative elections, the collective of Civil Society Organizations for Elections (COSCE) led by Professor Babacar Gueye faced the press this Saturday to inform of the deployment of its electoral observation mission (MOE). These civil society actors took the opportunity to take stock of the electoral campaign which ended yesterday, Friday. The COSCE Electoral Observation Mission urges the state to guarantee all voters the free exercise of their right to vote, while taking the necessary measures for optimal organization of the vote and in particular in the regions and zones flooded.
In their assessment of the first pre-electoral phase made by long-term observers (OLT), the COSCE indicates having noted an “increase in cases of violence, intimidation and harassment in the departments of Dakar, Tambacounda, Ziguinchor, Koungheul and Saint Louis. Thus, in total, “5 incidents of violence were reported, including two involving physical confrontations between supporters of different political parties”.
In 4% of the country’s departments, reveals the COSCE, “cases of distribution of money or goods to influence voters, particularly in rural areas” were noted.
Observers also welcomed the absence of infringement of media rights during this period. “No reports of violations of media rights were reported by observers during the pre-election period.”
In the evaluation of the second phase, the COSCE denounces the dissemination of hate speech and disinformation on social networks. He welcomed parity on the lists of candidates, but deplores the fact that no proportional list is headed by a woman.
Concerning the non-withdrawal of voter cards, these civil society actors citing data from the Ministry of the Interior revealed that only 18,867 voter cards, or 6.77% of the 278,736 cards available, were withdrawn as of November 15, 2024. This finding means that 259,870 cards remain waiting at distribution points, representing 93.23% of cards not withdrawn nationally.
Out of a total of 124,339 cards in stock in the Dakar region, only 11,054 cards were withdrawn, representing a cumulative distribution rate of 8.89%. This leaves a high percentage of unremoved cards (91.11%).
Addressing political actors, COSCE invites them to maintain peace and social cohesion during the electoral and post-electoral periods and to call on their activists to avoid all forms of violence.
The Collective invites citizens to participate massively in the vote in calm and serenity. It’s up to the media to cover the elections with professionalism and in compliance with ethical rules.
