Last held Jan 23, 2022 (first local polls since 2014). These councils have 5-year terms, so the next local elections are due around 2027.
Senegal
Senegal is a democratic republic with a strong presidential system, characterized by relatively stable democratic transitions since its 1960 independence and a robust civil society. The country held a peaceful political transition on March 24, 2024, with the election of opposition leader Bassirou Diomaye Diakhar Faye as the new president. Senegal’s political culture is a quasi-democratic one, distinguishing it in a region increasingly affected by military coups.
18.5M+
Population
100:96.8
Men-Women Ratio
41.2%
Women Representation
Overview
Senegal’s political system has evolved from its colonial past to a multi-party democracy. The country has a history of peaceful transfers of power and has not experienced a military coup.
• Independence and Early Political Structure
Senegal, a former French colony, gained its independence in 1960. Léopold Sédar Senghor became the first president, serving from 1960 to 1981. From 1966 to 1976, the country functioned as a one-party state under Senghor’s Socialist Party (PS), before re-opening to multi-party politics in 1978.
• Democratic Reforms and Power Transitions
Abdou Diouf succeeded Senghor in 1981 and served four terms. Constitutional reforms in 1991 and 2001 introduced direct popular elections and a two-term presidential limit.
In 2000, opposition candidate Abdoulaye Wade defeated Diouf, marking the first peaceful transfer of power from one party to another. Wade served two terms before handing power to Macky Sall after the 2012 election.
• The 2024 Election
After being re-elected in 2019, Macky Sall was term-limited in 2024. The presidential election, originally scheduled for February, was delayed by presidential decree. The Constitutional Council later ruled the postponement unconstitutional.
The election was held in March 2024, and Bassirou Diomaye Faye won. This transfer of power was peaceful and maintained Senegal’s record of democratic stability.
Upcoming Elections
January 23, 2027
Local (Municipal & Departmental)
Scheduled
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November 17, 2029
Parliamentary (National Assembly)
Scheduled
Last held Nov 17, 2024 (snap election). The National Assembly term is 5 years, so the next legislative elections will fall in 2029 under normal schedule.
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March 24, 2029
Presidential Elections
Scheduled
The last election was March 24, 2024. President Faye’s term is 5 years, so the next election is expected in 2029.
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Participation Metrics
• Voter Turnout: Turnout in Senegal has varied across election cycles. In the 2024 presidential election, approximately 4.43 million out of 7.26 million registered voters cast ballots;a turnout of around 61%. This was a drop from the 66.27% turnout recorded in 2019, when 4.43 million out of 6.68 million registered voters voted. Legislative elections tend to see lower participation, with 46.6% turnout in July 2022 and 49.5% in the November 2024 rerun.
• Registered Voters: As of the 2024 presidential election, Senegal had approximately 7,260,000 registered voters. This marked an increase from about 6.68 million in 2019. While registration data is collected by the electoral authority, age and gender disaggregation is not consistently published.
• Age/Youth: Senegal has a very youthful population (median age ~18.5 years), but official data on youth voter turnout is not publicly available. There is no youth quota in legislative representation, though young people form a significant portion of the electorate. Youth engagement is often high in presidential cycles due to strong civic campaigns.
• Gender: Women make up about 50.2% of Senegal’s population and a similar share of registered voters. Due to the Gender Parity Law (2010), 41.8% of seats (69 out of 165) in the National Assembly are currently held by women following the 2024 elections (source: UN Women). Senegal is considered a regional leader in legislative gender inclusion.
• Other Groups: Senegal’s legal and electoral frameworks promote inclusion of women, youth, and persons with disabilities, but implementation gaps remain. Accessibility at polling stations, outreach to PWDs, and political inclusion of marginalized groups are being addressed by civil society and electoral stakeholders.
Key Electoral Institutions
Political parties and the National Assembly
Political parties and the National Assembly are crucial to the functioning of Mauritania’s electoral system, even though they are not direct management bodies. Political parties mobilize citizens, nominate candidates, and monitor elections through agents and observers. The National Assembly contributes by debating and enacting electoral laws, shaping the legal framework within which CENI and other institutions operate. Together, they provide democratic oversight and ensure political pluralism in the electoral environment.
Contact Information
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Constitutional Council
They serve as the highest judicial authority on electoral and constitutional matters in Mauritania. It validates and proclaims final election results, particularly for presidential and parliamentary elections, and confirms the eligibility of presidential candidates. The Council also adjudicates electoral disputes, ensuring that elections comply with the constitution and legal framework. Its rulings are final and binding, giving it a central role in safeguarding the integrity and legitimacy of electoral outcomes.
Contact Information
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Independent National Electoral Commission (CENI)
This is Mauritania’s principal body responsible for organizing and supervising all elections, including presidential, parliamentary, regional, and municipal polls. It operates as an autonomous institution mandated to ensure transparency, neutrality, and fairness in the electoral process. CENI oversees voter registration, monitors campaign conduct, manages the logistics of voting and counting, and announces provisional results. Its members are appointed through political consensus, typically representing both ruling and opposition parties, to reinforce public confidence and political balance.
Contact Information
- Headquarters: Commission Électorale Nationale Indépendante (CENI) of Mauritania
- Mailing Address: B.P. 4550, Nouakchott, Mauritania
- Hotline: +222 45 24 15 40
- Email: ceni@ceni.mr
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Direction Générale des Élections (DGE)
The DGE is the main new electoral management body in Guinea, created by decree in 2025. It is responsible for organising elections (both elections and referendums), maintaining and managing the electoral register, and guaranteeing aspects of electoral fairness. The DGE also represents Guinea in regional and international electoral organisations.
Contact Information
- Headquarters: Direction Générale des Élections (DGE)
- Mailing Address: Based in Conakry, Commune de Dixinn
- Hotline: +224 628 00 00 00
- Email: contact@dge.gov.gn
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Judiciary (Election Petitions)
The High Court of The Gambia hears election petitions. (Election Petition Rules 1976 govern the process.)
Contact Information
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Electoral Laws & Policies
• Constitution of the Republic of Senegal (2001; term limits amended 2016)
Limits the presidential term to 5 years, maximum two consecutive terms.
Establishes the voting age at 18, universal suffrage, and core electoral institutions, including the Commission Électorale Nationale Autonome (CENA) and Constitutional Council.
Article 7 (as amended, 2010) guarantees absolute gender parity in electoral candidate lists.
https://adsdatabase.ohchr.org/IssueLibrary/SENEGAL_Constitution.pdf
https://www.constituteproject.org/constitution/Senegal_2016
• Electoral Code – Law n°2021‑35 of 23 July 2021 (latest version): The principal electoral legislation, later supplemented by Decree n°2021‑1196 (Sept 2021) for regulatory details.
Key provisions include voter eligibility, candidate nomination requirements (support signatures or sponsorship), campaign conduct rules, vote counting procedures, and gender parity enforcement.
For legislative elections, candidates must now collect support signatures from 0.5%–0.8% of registered voters, with at least 1,000 signatures per region. In certain cases, eligibility can be endorsed by 13 MPs or 120 mayors instead.
Presidential runoff held if no candidate gains an absolute majority in the first round; legislative elections use a mixed system: 112 single- and multi-member districts (majoritarian/party block) plus 53 proportional representation seats.
https://cms.vie-publique.sn/assets/d9338f57-02ac-4eb5-9f8a-93a648d5c4fd/code-electoral-senegal.pdf
• Gender Parity Law (Law n°2010‑11 of 28 May 2010) Requires all election candidate lists to alternate male/female candidates (“zebra system”), invalidating non-compliant party lists.
Increased women’s representation in parliament from ~22.7% in 2007 to over 42% in 2012, and ~46% in 2022.
https://www.icnl.org/wp-content/uploads/Senegal_gendpar.pdf
• Voting system: President requires an absolute majority in either one or two rounds. The National Assembly has 165 seats: 112 elected in single- and multi-member constituencies by FPTP (or party-block voting) and 53 by closed-list proportional representation (largest remainder). (Of the 112 FPTP seats, 15 are reserved for overseas voters.
• Recent reforms: 2023 amendments addressed sponsorship transparency (lottery for review order, CENA oversight) and tightened campaign finance controls.
Accredited Election Monitoring Organizations
Recent Election Publication
News & Updates
Election Result Platform
How To Monitor Elections In
Senegal
Purpose
Promote transparent, credible, and peaceful elections (presidential and parliamentary).
Key Actors
International observers (regional bodies, foreign missions, NGOs)
Domestic/local observers (Senegalese CSOs)
Citizen observers (trained volunteers)
Media observers (press accreditation)
Accreditation and Legal Basis
ANERC (National Election Authority) and relevant prefectures oversee accreditation, polling, and results.
Observation is permitted under Senegalese electoral law; follow accreditation, safety, and non-interference rules.
Apply early via ANERC or accredited observer coalitions.
Observer Tracks
International, domestic/local, citizen, and media observers.
Planning and Preparation
Join a recognized observer network or coalition; secure credentials.
Define scope: polling stations, counting centers, results transmission; ensure regional/urban-rural balance.
Training: pre-election briefings on procedures, safety, ethics.
Tools: standard checklists, incident templates, offline data capture options.
On Election Day
At polling stations: verify accreditation, observe access, queues, secrecy, and procedures.
Record anomalies: delays, intimidation, missing materials, misprints.
Counting and transmission: observe where allowed; note deviations; monitor results transmission.
Reporting: use templates; escalate issues through coalition or ANERC channels.
Post-Election
Release a concise preliminary report; later publish a substantive post-election report.
Public briefings with media and stakeholders; share channels for reporting irregularities.
Contribute to post-election reviews and reforms.
Ethical Principles
Impartiality, non-interference, accuracy, safety, and data privacy.
Non-disruption of processes; respect voters and officials.
Timeline (Condensed)
6–12 months before: join coalition, begin accreditation planning.
3–6 months before: training; deployment plan.
Weeks before: confirm sampling; arrange logistics.
Election Day: observe and report.
1–2 weeks after: publish preliminary findings; submit final report.
Resources
ANERC guidance and accreditation (check official Senegalese sources)
Domestic CSO observer coalitions (verify current members)
Regional partners: ECOWAS, AU, EU Election Observations, UNDP