Senegal: Opposition platform F24 launches its 'people's dialogue'

The national dialogue initiated by the Head of State continues and should end at the end of the week, in a political climate still tense after the conviction of the opponent Ousmane Sonko, and in view of the presidential election scheduled for February. In this context, the "F24 Living Forces" platform - which brings together more than a hundred parties and civil society organizations - has launched its own dialogue, called "People's Dialogue".

A protester with the Senegalese flag on the Place de la Nation in Dakar during a rally against a possible 3rd term of Macky Sall, at the call of the opposition platform F24, May 12, 2023. © Charlotte Idrac / RFI

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With our correspondent in Dakar, Charlotte Idrac.

This time, it's the right one. After an abortive launch on May 31 – the F24 meeting had been prevented by the police – the dialogue "of the people" of the platform did indeed begin Tuesday, June 20. Two themes are on the agenda: justice, and the 3rd mandate. While President Macky Sall has still not pronounced on a possible new candidacy.

Dr. Abdourahmane Diouf chairs this workshop. "Today, we live in a blocked country, universities are ransacked, the economy is being attacked in general. And all this bubbling has only one explanation, it is the generating fact: it is because we have a president who has decided that whatever happens, he will try to run for a 3rd candidacy. »

It is a dialogue "open to all" according to its organizers, which also takes place online. "What we are waiting for is to renew the fundamentals of the democratic republic," explains Fatou Ndiaye Diop Blondin, a member of the F24. Many institutions are discredited because of their use for political purposes, especially the judiciary. So, update these institutions and notions so that Senegal moves forward after going through the crises of recent days.

The conclusions are expected this Friday. A second phase of this "parallel dialogue" should be devoted to "hyper-presidentialism", after the Muslim festival of Tabaski.

It's open to everyone. We have two workshops, and this will be combined with an online dialogue with the people, the diaspora and all Senegalese inside the country. There will be a 2nd phase, in addition to the 3rd term and justice, there is hyper-presidentialism. Today, the president has too much power in Senegal. And we will talk about the social aspects in a second step.

Abdoulaye Bathily, President of the F24 Communication Commission

Charlotte Idrac

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• Senegal
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