Senegal: Lessons Of Electoral Integrity

This briefing by the Institute for Security Studies analyzes the 2012 Senegalese presidential election, focusing on the role of electoral integrity in preventing political crisis despite attempts by President Abdoulaye Wade to secure a third term.

• President Abdoulaye Wade sought a third term in office through constitutional manipulation endorsed by the Constitutional Court, despite street protests and international pressure. In the first round of voting on 26 February, Wade's support declined significantly to 34.8 per cent, compared to 58.49% in 2000 and 55.90% in 2007.
• The first round of elections saw a voter turnout of 51.56 percent, the lowest since 2000. Approximately 60 per cent of voters supported the opposition, with Macky Sall receiving 26.5 per cent, Moustapha Niasse 13.2 per cent, and Idrissa Seck 7.8 per cent of the total votes.
• Four primary motivations drove Senegalese voters: a commitment to democratic credentials and peace, dissatisfaction with systemic corruption, power failures, and commodity price hikes; a desire for political ethics and consensus; and the influence of the M23 protest movement advocating for constitutional respect and political accountability.
• The relative credibility of electoral monitoring bodies and the neutrality of the Senegalese army are identified as essential factors that mitigated the risk of violence and political crisis, preventing a scenario similar to that of Côte d’Ivoire.
• The author notes that while there is a strong desire for change and the removal of President Wade, the opposition lacks coherent and innovative socio-economic policies to lead the nation forward.

APA

Zounmenou, D., & Joala, R. (n.d.). Senegal: Lessons Of Electoral Integrity. Institute for Security Studies. https://issafrica.org/iss-today/senegal-lessons-of-electoral-integrity

Chicago

Zounmenou, David, and Refiloe Joala. Senegal: Lessons Of Electoral Integrity. Institute for Security Studies, n.d. https://issafrica.org/iss-today/senegal-lessons-of-electoral-integrity.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Zounmenou |first1=David |last2=Joala |first2=Refiloe |title=Senegal: Lessons Of Electoral Integrity |publisher=Institute for Security Studies |url=https://issafrica.org/iss-today/senegal-lessons-of-electoral-integrity |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{zounmenoundsenegal, author = {Zounmenou, David and Joala, Refiloe}, title = {{Senegal: Lessons Of Electoral Integrity}}, institution = {Institute for Security Studies}, url = {https://issafrica.org/iss-today/senegal-lessons-of-electoral-integrity}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }