Author: Rachel Beatty Riedl | Journal of Democracy

Rachel Beatty Riedl is associate professor of political science and director of the Program of African Studies at Northwestern University, and a faculty fellow of the Institute for Policy Research. Her latest book (with Gwyneth H. McClendon) is From Pews to Politics: Religious Sermons and Political Participation in Africa (2019).

Democracy Wins in Senegal

Rachel Beatty Riedl

The president wanted to remain in power, but the people’s demands prevailed in the end.

July 2019, Volume 30, Issue 3

Aspirations and Realities in Africa: Senegal’s Vigorous but Constrained Election

Rachel Beatty Riedl
Ndongo Samba Sylla

In Senegal, voters, civil society, and the media remain active and engaged, but as the reelection of Macky Sall showed, the president’s ability to limit competition and centralize power remains formidable.