Political context and findings
• Senegal experienced a third presidential change in March 2024, followed by a legislative defeat in November 2024, leaving the Socialist Party (PS) with only one deputy.
• Serigne Mbaye Thiam calls for a lucid assessment of past errors, particularly since 2019, to redefine the party’s positioning in a transformed political and social landscape.
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The challenges of the Socialist Party
1. Leadership crisis and demobilization:
o Failed leadership and a weakened activist base contributed to successive failures.
o Traditional political approaches, marked by clientelism, are no longer suitable.
2. Changed socio-political context:
o The PS has failed to meet the expectations of citizens, in particular of a more educated, connected and engaged youth.
o Senegalese society, marked by profound changes, calls for a renewed political vision.
Call for reconstruction
• Objective: Rebuild the PS around a triple ambition:
1. Regenerate the party by modernizing its organization and methods of operation.
2. Develop a new political offer adapted to the realities of Senegal, Africa and the world.
3. Open up to socialist, progressive and left-wing forces, to reconfigure the political landscape.
• Priority to generational transition:
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o The “pre-Independence” generation must initiate a transition in favor of the “post-Independence” generation, now better placed to lead future political battles.
o A framework for intergenerational dialogue is necessary to preserve heritage, while leaving room for renewal.
Concrete proposals
1. Organizational reform:
o Transform the PS into a more agile, united and modern party.
o Rethink structures, modes of communication and financing.
o Give a central place to youth and women.
2. New political paradigm:
o Reinvent the foundations of socialist ideology in the face of contemporary challenges: rise of populism, social divides, and climate issues.
o Build an ambitious and inclusive political project.
3. Creation of a new political space:
o Bring together left-wing forces to overcome limited electoral alliances.
Call for unity and collective work
• Reconstruction requires a methodical collective effort, supported by a transitional ad hoc structure.
• The rising generation must act in a united and rigorous manner, to embody the renewal of the PS and meet the expectations of the Senegalese.
