Presidential elections in Senegal

Presidential elections in Senegal are expected to be held on the 24th February, which is this coming Sunday. Last month, two opposition leaders Khalifa Sall (no relation), a popular politician and former mayor of Dakar; and Karim Wade, a former minister and the son of former president Abdoulaye Wade were both found to be ineligible to stand for office due to convictions for corruption. Meanwhile, the country's Constitutional Court has preliminarily authorised five candidates, including incumbent president Macky Sall whom experts have said is likely to get sufficient support on the 24th to avoid a second vote. Ahead of the elections the non-governmental organisation focussing on human rights, Amnesty International says it is concerned about the bans on peaceful assemblies, violence between political activists and pressures on civil society organisations, among other things. To assist us on this topic we are joined on the line by • Francois Patuel, is the West Africa Francophone researcher at the Amnesty International, West and Central Africa Regional Office in Senegal • Paul Melly is a Consulting Fellow, with the Africa Programme at Chatham House