With five mayors, two of whom were dismissed in seven years, or less than two terms, the city of Dakar is the most unstable local authority due to political divisions. When political calculations prevail, municipal management stagnates.

White smoke just billowed from City Hall. Dakar, the Senegalese capital, has a new mayor. Abass Fall of Pastef was officially elected, succeeding Madame Ngoné Mbengue, the city's interim mayor, following a decisive vote on Monday, August 25, 2025. The extraordinary municipal council meeting that elected Pastef's departmental head was held as the Supreme Court ruled on the interim relief application of Barthélémy Dias, the former mayor who is challenging his dismissal before the high court, which was ordered by the Dakar prefect eight months ago following a referral from a local citizen (Bayna Guèye of Pastef).

Delivering his very first speech as the newly elected mayor of Dakar, Abass Fall, newly installed in his new role, pledged to "depoliticize the municipality." This promise speaks volumes about the politically unstable situation in the city of Dakar, which has been the scene of political and judicial battles between the government and the opposition for more than a decade. The two opposing camps are waging a merciless war—for control of the capital—where all weapons seem to be permitted, even those not covered by the convention.

In Dakar, political divisions take precedence over the well-being of the population

The local authority has, in fact, become the arena where power games, political divisions, backstabbing, and other petty murders occupy a prominent place, sometimes to the detriment of technical management and the well-being of citizens. Especially when the mayor of the capital is a member of the opposition. We also recall the episode between Diène Farba Sarr (Minister of Urban Renewal under Macky Sall) and Khalifa Sall (Mayor of Dakar) surrounding the municipal project to rehabilitate Independence Square in 2016-2017. The project, which already had a budget of 4 billion CFA francs mobilized by the city of Dakar, thus fell through, encountering the categorical refusal of the central government via its Minister of Urban Renewal.

In fact, this affair (a precursor) which precipitated the fall of Khalifa Sall in the context of the Caisse d'avance case, was, in reality, only the extension of the 2014 local elections. The raid carried out by the leader of Taxawu Dakar during these contests, sweeping 15 of the 19 municipalities of the region, remained stuck in the throat of Macky Sall who wanted to control Dakar at all costs. The setbacks followed for Khalifa Sall who was finally dismissed after his conviction. The stratagems put in place by the then minority regime proved futile since it was Soham El Wardini who was elected. Like his predecessor, this one also saw all its projects blocked by the State for political reasons in defiance of the general interest.

5 mayors in 7 years

These battles, against a backdrop of political calculations and pressures, demonstrate - if proof were needed - the strategic nature (electoral and financial weight) of the city of Dakar, hence the covetousness it is the object of and which is the source of its instability. Between 2018, the date of Khalifa Sall's legal setbacks, and today (i.e. less than two 5-year terms), the city has had 5 mayors, two of whom were dismissed following political and judicial battles: Khalifa Sall (dismissed after the advance fund case), Soham El Wardini, Barthélémy Dias (dismissed after a final conviction in the Ndiaga Diouf case), Ngoné Mbengue and Abass Fall.

Ultimately, the city of Dakar is considered strategic due to its electoral and financial weight, which gives it major influence over the country's politics and resource management. Its status as the capital and main economic and demographic center allows it to generate a significant share of national revenue, while also constituting a significant electoral breadbasket. All of these factors make it an essential entity for those in power.