EDITORIAL: Four-month wait untenable
After a remarkable journey from prison to the palace in recent weeks, Bassirou Diomaye Faye, a hitherto unknown opposition politician, was sworn in as Senegal's new president yesterday.
Although Faye's age of 44 has the world abuzz, what really impresses us is that he was only elected last week, on 24 March, and he has already taken the oath of office.
In Namibia, it takes four months for the newly-elected president to assume office. So far, it has worked perfectly, but one day it will blow up in our faces – just like president Hage Geingob’s sudden death in February exposed many of our weaknesses.
After our first democratic general election in 1989 and the transition that ensued from wartime Namibia to a new state, the four months to March 1990 were justified.
But in 2024, it’s laughable. One day an incumbent president will be voted out and still preside over the affairs of our country for four more months. If the unwanted president wants to suck our coffers dry during that period, they will have ample time to do so. They will also have enough time to conceal corrupt activities, if any, and replace the anti-corruption boss with their own lackey. The possibilities are endless.
We must resolve this untenable situation now – rather than waiting until the chickens have come home to roost. A month, at most, is adequate for a new president to take office. For Senegal, it only took a week.
Although Faye's age of 44 has the world abuzz, what really impresses us is that he was only elected last week, on 24 March, and he has already taken the oath of office.
In Namibia, it takes four months for the newly-elected president to assume office. So far, it has worked perfectly, but one day it will blow up in our faces – just like president Hage Geingob’s sudden death in February exposed many of our weaknesses.
After our first democratic general election in 1989 and the transition that ensued from wartime Namibia to a new state, the four months to March 1990 were justified.
But in 2024, it’s laughable. One day an incumbent president will be voted out and still preside over the affairs of our country for four more months. If the unwanted president wants to suck our coffers dry during that period, they will have ample time to do so. They will also have enough time to conceal corrupt activities, if any, and replace the anti-corruption boss with their own lackey. The possibilities are endless.
We must resolve this untenable situation now – rather than waiting until the chickens have come home to roost. A month, at most, is adequate for a new president to take office. For Senegal, it only took a week.
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