Senegal Presidential Election 2024: Who are the Leading Candidates?

Photo Credit: Reuters

Ahead of the long-awaited presidential election scheduled to take place in Senegal on March 24, 2024, the country’s nineteen (19) approved presidential candidates are hastening on the campaign trail to sway voters to their side in the shortened campaign period caused by President Macky Sall’s unconstitutional election postponement.

This year’s presidential election is historic. Not only is it featuring a female candidate in a long while, it is also the first time the incumbent president is not appearing on the ballot in Senegal’s electoral history.

Since Macky Sall is not in the race, who are the leading candidates competing to replace him? This article explores the profiles and backgrounds of the main contenders in the upcoming election.

Amadou Ba

Born on May 17, 1961, Amadou Ba is the flagbearer of the ruling Alliance for the Republic political party, usually referred to as the Benno Bokk Yakaar (BBY) Coalition.  Between 2013-2024, he held three different ministerial positions in the government of the incumbent president, Macky Sall. He was the Minister of Finance and Economy from 2013 to 2019. He became the country’s foreign minister between 2019 and 2020.

He has held several leadership positions since the early 1990s in Senegal’s tax and insurance institutions.

In 2022, he assumed office as the Prime Minister until this year when he resigned, following his appointment as the flagbearer of the ruling coalition by the incumbent president.

His appointment as the flagbearer reportedly caused division within the BBY coalition, as some members of the coalition raised concerns about his inexperience in contesting for a presidential position in previous elections, as compared to some of his opponents.

His campaign pledges to create 1 million jobs through investing in agriculture, infrastructure and the energy sector in is first term if elected as president.

Bassirou Diomaye Faye

Bassirou Diomaye Faye, a Tax Inspector and one of the leading  candidates in this election was born in Ndiaganiao in 1980. Bassirou became an active politician in the Senegalese political space after he became the secretary general of the African Patriots of Senegal Party for Work, Ethics and Fraternity (PASTEF).

Faye is considered one of the favourite candidates and has gained popularity and support thanks to the blessing of Ousmane Sonko who himself is barred from contesting the 2024 election due to legal troubles.

Like his boss Sonko, Faye was imprisoned in April last year, on charges including inciting insurrection but he was never tried, which paved way for him to contest. He was released on 14th March 2024 and kicked off his campaign with Sonko to garner the support of voters.

The Faye and Sonko campaign which is largely considered anti-establisment say they will spearhead nationwide institutional reforms and renegotiate mining and energy contracts if elected.

Khalifa Ababacar Sall

Khalifa Ababacar Sall was born in Louga, a town in the northwestern part of Senegal on January 1, 1956. He served as the mayor of Dakar from 2009 to 2018. Known as a key political activist in the political space of Senegal, he was the leader of Manko Taxawu Sénégal in the 2022 Senegalese parliamentary election and had served his country has previously served in ministerial positions under President Abdou Diouf.

Sall (not related to Macky Sall) was arrested in March 2017 and sentenced to five years for embezzling $3 million in public funds. The former mayor and his supporters however believe the allegations are politically motivated.

He was pardoned by Macky Sall in September 2019 and released from prison. He was barred from the 2019 presidential election due to his conviction and incarceration.

Sall’s campaign promises to build "an inclusive and prosperous Senegal within a framework of sustainable development" through focusing on human capital development, agriculture and other crucial sectors of the country’s economy. He has also resolved to build strong traditional and family values, strong institutions,enhance access to justice, and guarantee respect for freedoms and human rights of the Senegalese police.

Idrissa Seck

Idrissa Seck was born on August 9, 1959 in Thiès. He has a history with the ruling Party, the BBY coalition and the Senegalese Democratic Party (PDS). He is the founder of the GDP INITIATIVES (Global for Peace), a consulting firm that focuses on education and health.

He served as a prime minister of Senegal from 2002 to 2004 under the regime of former president Abdoulaye Wade of the Senegalese Democratic Party (PDS).

Seck was however sacked and imprisoned in 2005 over an alleged embezzlement case but was later released and charges dismissed.

He left the PDS in 2006 to form the Rewmi Party. In 2007, he contested the presidential election against his former boss Wade, obtaining 14.86% of the votes, with Wade securing victory with 55.90% of the votes.

 He joined Macky Sall’s BBY in the run-off of the 2012 election but left in 2013 following a disagreement. Notwithstanding, Seck was appointed as the president of the Economic, Social and Environment Council by President Macky Sall in 2020. He left the council to pusue his ambition to contest in the 2024 presidential election.

This is his fourth attempt at the presidency, previously contesting in 2007, 2012 and 2019, all of which were unsuccessful.

Seck pledges to institute a compulsory military service, hold oil and gas firms accountable for endangering the fishing industry and also dedicate at least 60% of public funds to develop Senegal’s regions outside Dakar.

Anta Babcar Ngom

Anta Babacar Ngom, 40, was born in Malika, a district in the east of Dakar.

She is the only female presidential candidate left among the 19 candidates after Rose Wardini stepped down amidst claims of her  being a dual citizen.

Ngom launched her political party, the “Alternative for the Next Generation of Citizens (ARC)” political movement in August 2023. Her vision is to restructure the economy through large-scale industrialization, by supporting sectors such as fishing, agriculture, and tourism to achieve sustainable development. She also promises to create a bank for women economic empowerment.
Eventhough Ngom is not considered a favorite in this election, her strides as the only female candidate in a male dominated field is inspiring hope among women and activists. This is the first time the presidential election is seeing a female candidate in more than a decade.

Aly Ngouille Ndiaye

Aly Ngouille Ndiaye, 59, from Linguère, is a civil engineer by profession. Until he was appointed energy and interior minister, he was the head of Aris Engineering, a real estate engineering company. He is currently the mayor of the town of Linguère.

 Ndiaye was a known leading member of Macky Sall’s BBY coalition but resigned as a minister and member of the coalition after failing to lead the coalition into the 2024 election.

He served as Minister of Energy, Mines and Industry as well as Interior all under Macky Sall from 2012 to 2020. He also served a stint as the Minister of Agriculture.

As part of his plans for Senegal, Ndiaye seeks to invest heavily in Agriculture and create 1 million jobs to Senegal’s youthful population.

Mahammed Boun Abdallah Dionne

Mhammed Dionne, 64, is a former Prime Minister of Senegal from 2014 to 2019. Before ascending to his role as Prime Minister, Dionne served as Minister of the Implementation of the Emerging Senegal Plan and worked closely with the incumbent president during the latter’s time as Prime Minister and President of the National Assembly.

Just like all the candidates, the former Prime Minister’s coalition says his priority is to create jobs for the country’s growing youth population who are turning to dangerous voyages to seek greener pastures in Europe.

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