Elections

In Senegal, parliamentary candidates are facing increasing costs linked to their investiture, their election and their legislature. Senegal has had a long history of multi-party elections. Except for the period from 1963 to 1976 when the country experienced a single-party system, elections have always been hotly contested since independence, and even during the colonial period beforehand. 

Money is crucial for political parties to implement activities during and in-between elections. In addition to other factors, candidates require funds for effective campaigns, which contribute to possible electoral victory. However, whether in established or new democracies, unregulated use of money, private or public, for politics, is capable of reversing the ethics, practices and spirit of democracy. It confers undue advantages and improperly alters electorates’ available choices.