Senegal : Ousmane Sonko Back On Electoral List

The legal wrangling pitting the Mayor of Ziguinchor, Ousmane Sonko to the State of Senegal has reached a new turning point. On Thursday, October 12, 2023, the Provincial judge of Ziguinchor in Southern Senegal ordered the reinstating of the opposition leader’s name into the country’s electoral list. Though for now the decision opens the way for him to run for the next presidential election, State lawyers say they will in the days ahead launch an appeal against the decision at the Supreme Court. The fate of Mr Ousmane Sonko is therefore still uncertain, but his lawyers say the decision by the Ziguinchor judge opens a window of hope for his political future. 
The removal of his name followed by his sentence to two years in prison, deprived him of the possibility of running in the presidential election scheduled for February 2024. Several hours after the decision was made public, there has been positive reactions from his supporters who consider the decision a milestone for their leader to pursue his political ambitions. But the end of the saga seems to be far from over because, the 49-year-old opposition leader who came third in the 2019 Presidential election still has other legal charges to overcome before thinking of depositing his documents for an eventual candidacy.
Mr Sonko was convicted last June, 2023 of deb...