Senegal: What Will Turnover Bring?

Issue Date July 2012
Volume 23
Issue 3
Page Numbers 121-31
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Despite Senegal’s democratic reputation after the Senegalese Democratic Party unseated the Socialists in 2000, the regime actually remained competitive authoritarian under President Abdoulaye Wade (2000–12). In the March presidential election, Wade lost to Macky Sall, leader of the Alliance for the Republic (APR) party. Paradoxically, Wade’s repression and pursuit of a constitutionally questionable third term fostered developments that could eventually trigger full democratization. Recent politicization of civil society has increased the scope of opposition coordination. The citizen mobilization that occurred through the Assises Nationales and the June 23 Movement (M23) may constrain Sall and help him rule with transparency.

About the Author

Catherine Lena Kelly is a doctoral candidate in government at Harvard University. She is writing a dissertation on the formation, coalition-building strategies, and durability of political parties in sub-Saharan Africa, and has spent fifteen months in Senegal.

View all work by Catherine Lena Kelly