Politics

Sonko excluded as Senegal releases final list of presidential candidates

Published

11 months ago

January 21, 2024

A final list of 20 candidates for Senegal’s February presidential election has been released by the constitutional council, with controversial opposition figure, Ousmane Sonko, missing.

Karim Wade, the son of former president, Abdoulaye Wade, and Khalifa Sall, who both saw their aspirations of participating in the most recent presidential race dashed by legal convictions, were also left off the list. Both have since been granted presidential pardons; however, Wade is said to be ineligible this time around because he held dual citizenship at the time of his campaign.

The statement by the council claimed that opposition firebrand Sonko’s bid was invalid because of a suspended sentence related to a case of slander. Sonko, 49, has been involved in a number of legal battles since 2021; the government refutes his claims that the lawsuits are politically driven, but discontent has been stoked by the public’s outrage at his treatment.

The final list also includes Bassirou Diomaye Faye, who was nominated in November by members of Sonko’s now-dissolved Pastef party as a fallback candidate in case Sonko is found ineligible. Faye is in detention, just like Sonko, but he is still able to run because the case against him has not yet been decided. Defamation and contempt of court are two of the counts against him.

Prime Minister Amadou Ba, former mayor of Dakar, Khalifa Sall, and former prime minister Idrissa Seck are among the candidates approved by the council. Macky Sall, the outgoing president, will hand over power in July after ruling out a third term, putting an end to months of speculation that contributed to some of the deadliest violence in the normally stable West African nation’s modern history.

Since Sall declared that he would not use a constitutional revision to seek a third-term mandate—a strategy common among other African leaders to extend their reign—concerns about the possibility that Sonko’s expulsion would spark additional protests have subsided as his trial has triggered deadly demonstrations.

The February 25 election will mark the first time since Senegal’s independence that the current president will not run for office again after serving two terms in office.

A presidential candidate needs to secure the signatures of 0.8% to 1% of the voting public. At least 2,000 sponsors must be secured for each of Senegal’s fourteen regions, where a minimum of seven signatures are required.

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Politics

Burkina Faso releases 4 French spies after Moroccan intervention

Published

2 days ago

December 20, 2024

Ifeoluwa Dada

In a diplomatic spat over their imprisonment, France and Morocco announced Thursday that four French nationals detained in Burkina Faso for a year had been freed after mediation from Morocco.

They were spies, according to a prior statement made by the director of France’s foreign intelligence organisation, the DGSE.

A request for comment was not answered by the DGSE or a representative of the French military, which is in charge of the agency.

Since December 2023, they have been held in Ouagadougou.

President Emmanuel Macron hailed King Mohammed of Morocco on Wednesday for his intervention, “which made possible the liberation of our four countrymen who had been held in Burkina Faso for a year,” according to a statement from the French administration.

King Mohammed and President Ibrahim Traore of Burkina Faso were also commended by Morocco’s foreign ministry, which stated that “this humanitarian act” was made possible by their positive bilateral ties.

In October, France made peace with Morocco, one of its former protectorates, after three years of hostilities between Paris and Rabat stoked by immigration concerns and the disputed Western Sahara region.

Morocco offers Burkina Faso and other military-ruled Sahel republics Atlantic trade.

However, France’s relations with former West and Central African colonies, such as Burkina Faso, remain difficult. In Ouagadougou, French troops and diplomats were ejected, the defence attache and ambassador were asked to depart, and certain French media were suspended.

The military junta that took control in 2022 in Burkina Faso has been criticized by international rights groups for cracking down on free expression and harassing dissidents to handle a security crisis precipitated by Al Qaeda and Islamic State extremists.

Politics

Ghana: President-elect Mahama appoints anti-corruption team

Published

3 days ago

December 19, 2024

Ifeoluwa Dada

According to a statement released by his transition team on Wednesday, Ghana’s President-elect, John Dramani Mahama, has designated an anti-corruption committee to investigate allegations of wrongdoing.

When he takes office next month, Mahama, the leading opposition candidate in the presidential election held on December 7 and who received almost 56% of the vote, has pledged to reclaim the proceeds of corruption and hold those responsible for it accountable.

In anticipation, an anti-graft squad has been established. The parliament’s Committee on Assurances, which has previously raised suspicions of governmental corruption, is chaired by MP Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwah.

An investigative journalist, a private attorney, a former auditor general, and a former police officer with experience in high-profile robbery cases make up the other three members.

After looking into alleged financial irregularities that took place during the previous administration, Daniel Dumelovo, the former auditor general, was fired.

Recovering lost assets and fighting corruption were two of Mahama’s main campaign pledges.

“He intends to hit the ground running on these commitments,” the statement said.

Eight years after leaving office, former President Mahama is back to head the West African country. Despite not being personally contaminated, he faced criticism during his 2012–2016 administration due to claims of political corruption.