Paper short abstract:

The objective of this paper is to provide a comparative analysis of the relative success of the 2010 Senegalese parity law with the 2018 sponsorship law. This paper is based on interviews with female presidential candidates, MPs and local community council members .

Paper long abstract:

In Senegal, the 2010 gender parity law represented a major turning point in that it mandated political parties to apply gender equality for elective positions. This major law allows Senegal to rank 4th in the ranking of African countries , and 12th at the World level. Senegal aspires to become "an emerging country with a society of solidarity in a state of law, without discrimination, where men and women will have the same opportunities to participate in its development and enjoy the benefits of its growth." However, the effects of the parity law on the quality of the social contract is yet to be assessed. In addition, none of the women candidates to the 2019 presidentials passed through the meshes of the net of the 2018 sponsorships measure which requires declared candidates to gather at least 53,000 signatures from Senegalese voters to be able to validate their candidacy. Voters excluded not only women, but also young candidates. This article analyses comparatively the effects of the quota law (the Gender Parity Law for all elective roles) and the sponsorship law on Women Political Participation in Senegal. This paper is based on preliminary analysis of interviews with 4 (out of 5) 2019 female presidential candidates, MPs and local community council members on the one hand, and a desk review of the relevant policy and academic literature.