Information service of the Pontifical Mission Societies since 1927
Dakar (Fides Service)- “The elections will reveal the vitality of the country’s democratic system” said local Church sources in Dakar capital of Senegal, where a first round of presidential elections will be held on Sunday 25 February (see Fides 15/2/2007). “The recent clashes between demonstrators of opposing factions were a concerning sign that democratic life is degenerating” Fides learned from a missionary who asked not to be named. On Wednesday 21 there were clashes between supporters of outgoing president Abdoulaye Wade and supporters of the other candidate former prime minister Idrissa Seck. The supporters of president Wade belong to a powerful Islamic association Mouride led by Cheikh Bethio Thioune one of the president’s allies.
“For some years Senegal was a beacon of democracy for the rest of Africa. In fact people in other African countries would shout ‘Senegal’ when calling for free, democratic elections. Senegal was synonymous for democracy” the sources told Fides. “Elections held in 2000 were an example for the whole continent. The head of state at the time Abdou Diouf, lost the election and despite pressure from the army which was ready to support him if he chose to reject the will of the people, he accepted the results and stepped down”.
“Things have changed since 2000” the missionary told Fides. “The president who is running for a second mandate has a different style. He appears more of a centralizer and his supporters stage street clashes to impose their reasons. Now we must see how this behaviour affects the country’s democratic tissue. However the Senegalese are known to reject violence and to solve problems with dialogue. In fact the recent clashes were repelled by most people”.
With regard to the outcome of the vote according to Fides’ sources it is difficult to say “President Wade centred his electoral campaign on national development and a launched a vast programme of public projects with Dakar as the showcase. However in the interior of the country poverty has increased and infrastructures are scarce. Certainly the people are impressed by these enormous work-sites but I am not sure whether they know if these projects will improve living conditions or not”.
There are 15 candidates for presidency. The outgoing President is almost bound to win because the opposition appears weak and divided. “However the Opposition leaders have said that if the president is re-elected in the first round they will demand an investigation to ascertain the correctness of the election. “There have been rumours, probably unfounded, of a telephone black-out to prevent the press from reporting election results from the interior. We all hope that the people of Senegal are truly democrats and that there will be no degeneration of political life in an authoritarian sense” the sources concluded. (L.M.) (Agenzia Fides 23/2/2007 righe 44 parole 539)
