A mere two million voters out of Senegal’s 19 million population should not be allowed to rewrite the country’s constitution behind closed doors, a prominent human rights leader has warned.
Professor Denis Ndour, President of the Senegalese League for Human Rights, raised the alarm over a widening democratic deficit after the Constitutional Council struck down a controversial amendment aimed at stripping powers from the Presidency.
The blocked legislation was heavily pushed by the ruling PASTEF party under the Speaker of Parliament, Ousmane Sonko, who is locked in a bitter political feud with President Bassirou Diomaye Faye since the duo swept to power together in 2024.
Ndour argued that the National Assembly overstepped its mandate by trying to shift Senegal from a presidential system to a parliamentary regime without a public referendum.
“We are now 19 million Senegalese,” Professor Ndour said. “From the 19 million, only seven million are registered to vote. From the seven million who are registered, only four million actually voted. And out of those four million, only two million voted for the political party in power.”
The court’s intervention stops the legislative overhaul, but the ongoing gridlock has left many citizens frustrated. Ndour noted that while the political elite remains consumed by institutional battles, everyday Senegalese are still waiting for tangible economic relief, youth jobs, and a drop in the high cost of living.
–ChannelAfrica–
