In neighbouring Senegal, the entire country is eagerly waiting for February so that they can go to the polls and choose their next president. Everyone seems to have one topic in mind: the elections.
This time round, the election promises to be very interesting as it will be a tight race between Mr Amadou Ba, from the ruling party and Mr Ousmane Sonko who the constitutional court has given the green light to be on the polls. There still are some people who doubt that Mr Sonko will run for the highest office but if things remain as they are, then he is likely to be a contender.
There are even some people who are talking about Mr Karim Wade, son of former president Abdoulaye Wade. It is possible that he may also be among the contenders which will make the race that more tight.
Of course there are other candidates who will also throw their hats in the ring but there is little doubt that the two leading candidates will be Mr Ba from the ruling party and Mr Sonko, whose party PASTEF was disbanded recently.
Many observers are apprehensive of the potential volatile nature of the elections this year and are hoping and praying that it occurs in a peaceful atmosphere for the good of the country. It is hoped that this turns out to be the case so that peace and stability will continue to reign in Senegal as it always has.
The reason for the fear is that many citizens see the case of Ousmane Sonko’s imprisonment and the disbanding of his party as political victimisation. That is why there was a lot of unrest during the time that he was being taken to court and afterwards.
Be that as it may, now that the courts have opened the door for him to run for office, his supporters are full of confidence that he will sweep the polls and take residence at Palais National as the next president.
Whatever the case, the good people of Senegal will do well to remember that peace is the most important commodity and whoever has it should do whatever it takes to preserve it not only for the current time but also for the future generations.
It is hoped that the citizenry of Senegal will find the maturity to go to the polls peacefully and accept whatever results are announce at the end of the day.
