The summer before Senegal’s March 2012 presidential election, protests broke out in Dakar. Those involved–unionists, political party members and leaders, youth organizations, and citizens’ movements designed to enforce accountability between politicians and constituents–were reacting to former President Abdoulaye Wade’s attempt to change the constitution to allow candidates to choose vice-presidential running mates and to win the election with a mere 25% of the vote. This was a not-so-transparent plan designed to allow him to run with his son, Karim (who lost the 2009 race to become mayor of Dakar).
What did these protests mean for Senegalese citizens and their political system? You can find a short piece I wrote on this at the African Futures website of the Social Science Research Council: http://www.possible-futures.org/2012/07/12/june-23-movement-change-senegal/.
SeneGal 