Senegal: Sonko Ineligible to Vie for Presidency

Senegal President Macky Sall (file photo).
11 August 2023

One of the Senegalese dailies, Obs, yesterday reported that Senegal's main opposition leader Ousman Sonko, 49, "is ineligible" to run as presidential candidate for the February 25, 2024 elections because his name had been written off from the electoral list.

A letter from the Ministry of Interior, addressed to the deputy chief of district of Ngor - Almamy, notified the Commissioner of Dieuppeul-Derkle that Sonko's name had been written off from the electoral list.

"The reason is June 1st, 2023 he was sentenced two years on charges of corrupting youth but acquitted for rape and issuing death threats against Aji Sarr, a lady working or rendering massaging service in a salon in Dakar, who accused him of rape.

Currently 800 of Sonko's militants are detained. He was remanded on 31 July 2023 and on the same day his party PASTEF, formed in 2014, was dissolved. Following the dissolution of the party, all its assets have been liquidated, according to a press release from the Interior ministry.

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