Presidential elections took place in Senegal on February 25, 2007. Turnout was high (the government speculated 95 percent) across the 11,000 polling stations, and a new electronic voting system caused long lines at balloting stations, but the process was generally peaceful. Electronic voting should allow for faster tabulations, but some people do not trust this technology’s debut. Human rights activists had few complaints against the election process, calling the voluminous turnout ‘historical’ and vowing to expedite long queues, but opposition monitors raised an alert that voter registration cards were not distributed in time to vote. According to Interior Minister Ousmane Ngom, some 90 percent of the registered 4.9 million Senegalese received their cards by February 23.
The electoral process was not without violence. The government banned an opposition march in January, and security forces with tear gas were called in when the march went forward. Rival political parties engaged in rock throwing that injured three people earlier this week.
Incumbent Abdoulaye “Gorgui” (Wolof: Old Man) Wade , representing the Senegalese Democratic Party, sought reelection over 14 challengers. He needed a 50 percent majority in this round to win another five-year term outright; and his win was announced on February 27. He focused his campaign on resolving poverty and unemployment and his successes in economic growth for the country. He is also credited with infrastructure development, including roadway, railway, hotel, and airport construction and improvement efforts, that have begun to bear fruit for the impoverished. Prior to the announcement, Wade spoke confidently: “I am very optimistic. Before coming here, I called all my representatives of the party in each department of Senegal and they are very, very confident and there is very big mobilization for Wade.”
Opposition
Wade’s opposition widely promised job creation to attract approximately half of the population that is unemployed. And, they questioned voting legitimacy, claiming that a Wade win could be guaranteed by his control of security forces and state institutions to rig polls. They claim Wade’s outright win represents voter fraud. Wade has also been criticized for undertaking building projects for the elite while ignoring growing unemployment problems and for concerning himself more with his legacy and image than that of his people.
Idrissa Seck was the leading opposition candidate and former prime minister from the pack of 14 vying for Wade’s office. He has the support of Senegalese youth, to which Wade appealed in his 2000 victory. Seck, however, voiced concern over the election process, a charge not uncommon to losing contenders. He claimed not only a delay in voter registration cards, but also intimidation tactics. Seck, a former Wade ally, was imprisoned for a year after a lengthy investigation into embezzling millions of dollars. Seck denied the charges and has since reconciled with Wade.
Ousmane Tanor Dieng, a Socialist Party member, claimed he had evidence of “a planned strategy of fraud,” in which Socialist Party members were denied voting cards. Wade toppled the Socialist Party’s 40-year rule in 2000.
With so many candidates running against Wade, the opposition was unlikely to swing the needed 50 percent to any single candidate to force a run-off in March. A wiser tactic would have been to consolidate the opposition and put forward a small number of candidates who could have represented a unified opposition. The opposition may contest the election, a move that still could spark election-related violence; however, none of the leading contenders have specifically called for a recount.
In the End…
Those who did participate in the voting process were generally excited and willing to wait for their right to cast a ballot. Senegal is a model of peace and stability in the highly volatile Sub-Saharan Africa region—it has not seen a coup or civil war since 1960, past voting was peaceful, it has a very low crime rate, it is religiously tolerant, and it receives foreign aid. While unrest is possible by the opposition should Wade win, it is likely to be short lived and minimal. The country has, however, battled a low-level rebellion in the Casamance region in south since the 1980s (Advisory). While electoral polls are banned in Senegal; Wade had garnered more votes than his 14 opponents combined, nearly 57 percent of the vote.
