[6][7] Bassirou Diomaye Faye, running in place of Ousmane Sonko, was elected president with 54% of the vote, while Amadou Ba, the candidate of the ruling United in Hope (BBY) coalition, peacefully conceded defeat.

[12] On 17 February 2023, the day before the date was revealed for the upcoming elections, Senegalese opposition candidate Ousmane Sonko was forcibly taken from his vehicle amid rallies outside a Dakar courthouse where his trial was taking place.

[13] On 3 July, following a series of protests regarding Sonko's conviction for "immoral behaviour" in a separate case, incumbent president Macky Sall stated that he would not seek re-election for a third term.

[16] On 31 July, PASTEF was ordered dissolved by the Senegalese government,[17] while Sonko undertook a months-long hunger strike in protest over the political situation.

[26][27][28] Two women were also cleared to run, namely gynaecologist Rose Wardini and entrepreneur Anta Babacar Ngom,[29] the head of one of the country's largest food manufacturers and poultry firms, Sedima.

[37] Abdou Latif Coulibaly, the Secretary General of Sall's government and its concurrent spokesman, announced his resignation, saying that he wanted to have "full and complete freedom" to defend his political convictions.

Authorities also suspended and later revoked the broadcasting license of the private television channel Walf TV for its coverage of the protests, calling it an "incitement to violence".

[38] The Ministry of Communication, Telecommunications and Digital Economy shut off mobile internet access on 5 February, citing "the dissemination of several hateful and subversive messages relayed on social networks in the context of threats and disturbances to public order.

[48] In a heated session on 5 February that saw some opposition deputies removed by security forces after they tried to block proceedings, the National Assembly voted in favor of a proposal to postpone the elections until 15 December formally.

The measure, which needed the support of at least three-fifths (99) of the chamber's 165 deputies to pass, was approved by 105 members and rejected by only one MP and prompted renewed protests outside the National Assembly that were suppressed by police using tear gas.

[53] In response to the postponement and subsequent protests, former presidents Abdou Diouf and Abdoulaye Wade called on Macky Sall to organise the "national dialogue he has announced, without delay."

"[41] The US State Department also urged "all participants in (the) electoral process to engage peacefully to swiftly set a new date and the conditions for a timely, free and fair election".

[55] US Senate Foreign Relations Committee chair Ben Cardin said the postponement put Senegal "on a dangerous path towards dictatorship, and must not be allowed to stand.

"[41] United Nations Human Rights Office spokesperson Liz Throssell said any decision to postpone the elections should be "based on broad-based consultations.

"[56] On 8 February, foreign ministers of ECOWAS member states held an emergency session in Abuja, Nigeria, to discuss the situation in Senegal.

[5] In a televised interview on 22 February, Sall said that he would leave office as scheduled on 2 April, but said that he would hold talks first with political leaders to determine a new timetable for the elections.

[63] At a protest in Dakar on 17 February, opposition candidate Malick Gakou [fr] called for the election to be held in March to ensure the departure of Macky Sall from the presidency as previously scheduled on 2 April.

[67] During a national dialogue in Diamniadio that was boycotted by the opposition and was attended only by Amadou Ba and another candidate on 26 February, Macky Sall announced that elections would be held before the start of the rainy season in July, and reiterated his commitment to leave office as scheduled in April.

[72] In an interview with the BBC on 20 March, Macky Sall rejected responsibility for the political crisis caused by his decision to postpone the election, saying "I don't owe any apology, I abided by the law".

[75] The election took place amid several socioeconomic affecting Senegal, such as high unemployment among the youth, increases in the cost of living, and questions over the management of domestic oil and gas production which is expected to begin in 2024.

[76] Bassirou Diomaye Faye campaigned on creating jobs, taking a strong stance against corruption, and vowing to reexamine energy contracts.

[79] Faye announced his intentions to implement a monetary reform to finance the economy of Senegal, removing the CFA franc as the country's currency.

[84] Anta Babacar Ngom meanwhile called for the strengthening of the private sector, free healthcare and reformation of the education system, including increased recognition for indigenous languages.

[85] On 23 March, the electoral observation mission of the Economic Community of Central African States (CEMAC) called for an "inclusive and incident-free presidential vote".

[90] Malin Björk, who headed a group of 100 observers from the European Union that monitored 40 polling stations across the country, said that the vote "took place in a calm environment and was well-organized.

[96] This came after the first set of tallies announced showed Faye had won the majority of votes in the first round, triggering widespread street celebrations in Dakar.