Senegal’s Supreme Court Overturns Ruling Allowing Opposition Leader Sonko to Run for President

Senegal’s Supreme Court has overturned a judgement that allowed detained political opponent Ousmane Sonko to re-enter the 2024 presidential race, ruling for a retrial. The court nullified the Ziguinchor court’s decision on October 12 and returned the case to the Dakar high court.…CONTINUE READING

Last month, a Ziguinchor court had reinstated Sonko on the electoral roll, a decision that the state appealed. Sonko, convicted in absentia in June, denounced the trial as a plot to exclude him from the election. The supreme court’s decision complicates Sonko’s bid, as obtaining sponsorships is a crucial step for presidential candidates.
Sonko: Supreme Court Reverses Approval for Presidential Candidacy
Ousmane SonkoPhotographer: Seyllou/AFP/Getty Images

Earlier on the same day, the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) court in Abuja, Nigeria, dealt a setback to Sonko’s election chances by stating that Senegal did not violate any of his rights. Sonko’s lawyers had approached the ECOWAS court to challenge his removal from electoral lists following his June conviction, making him ineligible for the 2024 presidential vote.

The ECOWAS court’s decision gives President Macky Sall the authority to continue the exclusion of Sonko from the election, according to Sonko’s lawyers. The opposition leader has faced a series of legal challenges over the past two and a half years, with the courts being accused of acting against him as part of a political plot.

The conviction of Sonko earlier this year led to violent clashes in Senegal. He remains popular, particularly among the youth, for his pan-Africanist stance and strong criticism of former colonial power France. The Supreme Court did not announce a date for Sonko’s retrial, adding uncertainty to his political future and the upcoming presidential election in February 2024.