2025 presidentials: Message from Senegal to Cameroon.

The country’s Constitutional Council stood its grounds to terminate an agenda, which incumbent, Macky Sall, had set to hold the election in December this year. The election was supposed to have statutorily taken place on February 24.

When the surprise postponement was forced through the Senegalese parliament, the positives history already had of Senegal’s democracy regressed.

However, the worst didn’t happen. The Constitutional Council halted Macky Sall’s antics, which many had interpreted as the shock of his abortive attempt to twist the constitution and possibly seek a third term.

Thus, the election of Sunday has brightened Africa’s democracy with anti-establishment candidate, Bassirou Diomaye Faye, of the PASTEF party likely to win. 

Provisional results, as at last night when we took to press, put him on a clear lead. Even before results of the presidential poll are officially proclaimed, Macky Sall’s handpicked choice of the ruling coalition, Ahmadou Ba, a former Prime Minister, already congratulated Bassirou Diomaye Faye yesterday. 

A majority of the other opposition candidates have also congratulated Bassirou Faye as the President-elect of Senegal. 

Bassirou had been in jail since April 14, 2023, until he was released on March 15, 2024. He came out from jail days to the exercise to spark a turnaround. Besides this, the election results, as per the country’s laws, must be proclaimed latest March 29.

Amid the niceties the Senegalese presidential election has, its outplay means different things for different countries. The implications for countries across Africa are also far reaching. 

In the Cameroonian political setting, where millions have been excited in the last few days as if it were a political exercise in their country, analysts say there is more for Cameroon to learn from Sunday’s Senegalese presidential election.

There are those who are concurring, and rightly so, that Cameroon, already on the eve of another presidential election, has much to learn from the Senegalese presidential poll.

Strong institutions

One of the messages from Senegal to Cameroon, many are already saying, is that of the need to have strong institutions and not strong men. 

Analysts are saying that it will not be a sin, if Cameroon borrows a leaf from Senegal’s Constitutional Council, to make an overhaul that will power its institutions and not men in the corridors of power.

In the Senegalese case, Cameroon, they are saying, must rework its political architecture and stakeholders, to appropriate power where it is actually supposed to be, for democracy to thrive. 

From the election management body, Election Cameroon, ELECAM, to the Constitutional Council, they say, there is need for the executive to relinquish some of the power it exercises for democracy to thrive.

There is a fresh and strong argument that ELECAM must be emboldened to will the powers to draw the electoral calendar, organise elections and proclaim results. 

The Constitutional Council, political analysts hold, should stay at the level of hearing cases that befits its competence and not declaring election results.

The Ministry of Territorial Administration, MINAT, others are saying, must disappear from the electoral process and allow ELECAM fully in charge of the entire process. 

Analysts have lampooned the cases wherein after an election, MINAT is battling to outsmart ELECAM in assessing the conduct of the election.

Revise the voting age to 18 years

One of the ironies in Cameroon’s setting, some are now saying, is that at 18, one is considered an adult but according to the country’s Electoral Code, the minimum voting age is 20. 

To borrow from the Senegalese experience, wherein young people, especially those under 20 years constitute half of the country’s 17 million inhabitants, there are calls for the powers that be in Cameroon to revisit voting age issue. 

They say if Cameroon must make meaning out of the calls for stakeholders in the ruling class and the opposition for the youth to take interest in politics, the voting age should be reduced to 18 years.

Unity of the opposition

Even without a trumpeted opposition coalition, the Senegalese presidential poll, it is also being extrapolated, leaves Cameroon with a message of the need for civility and unity within its opposition. 

Instead of an opposition seeking for personal gains at the expense of the common interest, Cameroon’s opposition, analysts are saying, must put the interest of the population first and unite forces where need be as a demonstration of its genuine call for change.

In Senegal, most of the other opposition candidates in the catalogue that was seeking to overhaul the country’s leadership have already congratulated the one whom they assessed as having won the election.

This attitude, many say, gives credence to the entire political process and wards off any form of confusion and tension.

Redirecting political capital to other resourceful candidates

The Senegalese presidential poll recorded a positive spin, despite the jailing of opposition frontrunner, Ousman Sonko. 

Sonko, who is founder and leader of the African Patriots of Senegal for Work, Ethics and Fraternity, known by its French acronym, PASTEF, despite being barred from the election, endorsed Bassirou.

Former Senegalese President, Abdoulaye Wade and his Senegalese Democratic Party, PDS, also endorsed Bassirou.

The projected winner of the election, Bassirou, benefitted from the huge following of Sonko and others. This is something that has been missing from Cameroon’s political scene. 

Borrowing from Senegal and moving forward into the 2025 presidential poll, pundits say Cameroonian opposition leaders must demonstrate selflessness like Sonko and Wade did in Senegal.

The reading from certain Cameroonian intellectuals from Senegal is that even if a politician is barred from the race, such a citizen should not waste time in directing his following to another candidate who has the potential to bring about positive change.

No need for unnecessary delays in results proclamations

Even with the law giving until March 29 for the proclamation of results; meaning a maximum of five days after voting, Senegalese will at least officially know their next President today.

Outside this, without a clear-cut winner, they will be informed on those to go for a re-run.

This too is another window in the political process wherein stakeholders say, Cameroon is still far from hitting commendable heights. 

The sometimes weeks taken to proclaim results from presidential poll in this age, many say, is something that dampens and puts a big question mark on Cameroon’s democratic growth.

Having orderly, speedy and transparent elections with the use of modern tools through independent institutions, analysts are saying, minimises loses incurred through projections and uncertainties. 

Many say, there is life after election, reason Cameroon must borrow a leaf from Senegal to improve on its political process.

Politically active Diaspora

Another attractive feature of the Senegalese election that has gained admiration across the globe, is the engagement of its Diaspora. 

This too, international relations experts and political scientists are saying, is something that Cameroon, especially its Diaspora, must learn to add to the country’s advancement.

Those who hold this view say a highly educated and potential-full Diaspora, that is politically passive, will have little or no effect on the destiny of a country. 

In this guise, the Cameroonian Diaspora, they are saying, must rise up to the billing and be politically active to shape Cameroon’s future.

Declaration of assets

In Senegal, like in most civilised countries, candidates must declare their assets before running for the office of president. 

This is however a sharp contrast in Cameroon, where public office holders who seek elective offices, as cited in the 1996 constitution, never declare their assets.

But for Akere Muna who did so in the build up to the 2018 presidential poll, no presidential candidate in Cameroon has ever declared his assets.

This too, is another basic lesson, which many say Cameroon, must learn, without delay to move its democratic process forward.