Presidential election in Senegal: “Candidates must be able to campaign in complete equality”, says EU mission
The mission (MOE) deployed by the European Union (EU) in Senegal to observe the presidential election, the first round of which is scheduled for February 25, 2024, requests to meet the candidate Bassirou Diomaye Faye, currently imprisoned, and considers it "
very important
» that he can campaign, said the head of this MOE, Malin Björk, on January 31 in Dakar.
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View of the Plateau district in downtown Dakar, Senegal. Initsogan/Wikimedia
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A little less than a month before the presidential election in
Senegal
, the electoral observation mission (EOM) of the European Union (EU) will deploy its first observers in all 14 regions from February 2, 2024. They are 32 in number, before being joined by 64 observers on election day. For the occasion, the head of this EU EOM, Malin Björk, returned to the mandate of this team of observers.
The European MP who also confirmed having requested to meet the opposition candidate in preventive detention, Bassirou Diomaye Faye, and called for him to be able to campaign in the same way as the 19 other presidential candidates.
Read alsoPresidential election in Senegal: opponent Ousmane Sonko calls to vote for his number 2 Bassirou Diomaye Faye
“
We hope to be able to meet Mr. Diomaye, we are in the process of taking the necessary steps.
It seems very important to me that the candidates who have been selected by the Constitutional Council can campaign in complete equality
, she underlined during a press conference attended by our correspondent in Dakar,
Léa
-Lisa Westerhoff
. .
And so, obviously, we hope that it can be done. Because, for a democratic electoral process, it is important that all candidates can campaign in complete equality. We cannot comment on the legal proceedings. I just see that it is important that candidates can campaign, it is important for citizens and for the electoral process
.”
The Swedish MEP insists: “
We are in a partnership for democracy, and for electoral processes that are as inclusive, democratic, transparent and free as possible.
»
Read alsoSenegal: Parliament votes for the creation of a committee of inquiry into the electoral process
According to a press release from the coalition which supports the candidacy of opponent Bassirou Diomaye Faye, the senior judge ordered on January 30 the rejection of the request for provisional release of the candidate in detention since last April, accused among others of defamation and endangering state security, but not yet judged.
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