,,iii #aahth ,,congress #ast ,session ,s4 ,,res4 #eaa ,,in ,,the ,,senate ,,of ,,the ,,united ,,states ,december #ah1 #bjbc,mr4 ,cardin 7for himself and ,mr4 ,risch7 submitted the following resolution2 which was referred to the ,committee on ,foreign ,relations ,,resolution ,reinforcing the ,united ,states-,senegal relationship and urging the ,government of ,senegal to conduct free1 fair1 transparent1 and inclusive elections on ,february #be1 #bjbd4 ,whereas ,senegal has been one of the most stable democracies in ,africa1 having peaceful1 democratic transfers of power in #bjjj and #bjab1 and never suffering a military coup d'tat2 ,whereas ,senegal is a regional leader and advocate for democracy in ,west ,africa1 having made important contributions to a democratic transition in ,the ,gambia and pressing military juntas in ,guinea1 ,mali1 ,burkina ,faso1 and ,niger to restore democracy and yield power to civilian elected authorities2 ,whereas ,senegal is one of the ,united ,states closest partners in ,africa2 ,whereas the ,united ,states allocated #add1jjj1jjj in bilateral assistance to ,senegal in fiscal year #bjbb focused primarily on health1 agriculture1 basic education1 and good governance2 ,whereas ,senegal completed a #edj1jjj1jjj ,united ,states ,millennium ,challenge ,corporation 7,,mcc7 compact in #bjae focused on increasing agricultural productivity and is now implementing a second1 five-year #eej1jjj1jjj ,,mcc compact focused on increasing access to electricity and has pledged #ej1jjj1jjj of its own resources toward this project2 ,whereas ,senegalese security forces have long benefitted from ,united ,states security assistance and cooperation designed to increase professionalism1 support ,united ,nations peacekeeping deployments1 and enhance ,senegal's ability to conduct maritime security1 counter violent extremism1 and combat narcotics trafficking2 ,whereas ,president ,macky ,sall was elected to a second and final term in office in #bjai in elections that were generally regarded as free and fair1 despite the disqualification of two prominent opposition party leaders due to prior corruption convictions2 ,whereas1 in ,july #bjbc1 ,president ,sall announced that he would retire in #bjbd1 after insinuating that he would pursue a third term1 in accordance with the ,senegalese constitution which limits presidents to two terms in office1 thereby becoming the first president in ,senegalese history to respect constitutionally mandated term limits and setting in important precedent for future presidents of ,senegal2 ,whereas the ,february #bjbd election will be the first presidential election in ,senegalese history without an incumbent president on the ballot2 ,whereas1 according to ,afrobarometer public opinion polling1 the ,senegalese people prefer democracy to any alternative 7#hd percent71 believe the president should be limited to two terms in office 7#gi percent71 and reject the concept of military rule 7#ga percent72 ,whereas1 according to the same polling1 the ,senegalese people say their country is either not a democracy or a democracy with major problems 7#ec percent1 an #h percent increase since #bjba71 and are not satisfied with the way democracy is working in ,senegal 7#ea percent72 ,whereas ,freedom ,house lowered ,senegal's rating from ,free to ,partly ,free in #bjbj due to the politically motivated prosecutions of opposition leaders and electoral law changes that reduced the competitiveness of the opposition2 ,whereas ,reporters ,without ,borders warned of an increasingly threatening press environment in advance of the #bjbb legislative elections and the government arrested and jailed journalists under a new #bjba law for allegedly disseminating fake news to discredit public institutions or prejudice public decency2 ,whereas state security forces in ,senegal responded with excessive force and took steps to restrict freedom of assembly in #bjba1 #bjbb1 and #bjbc in response to public protests2 ,whereas three people were killed and as many as #bjj arrested1 including opposition party leaders1 during protests in advance of the #bjbb legislative elections after the government disqualified several opposition party candidates2 ,whereas the ,government of ,senegal blocked access to several social media networks for two days and mobile internet for four days in ,june #bjbc seemingly in an effort to disrupt opposition party protests2 ,whereas1 as many as #af people were killed and hundreds arrested following opposition party protests in #bjbc2 and ,whereas the ,government of ,senegal continues to impose restrictions on public protests and the exercise of freedom of assembly that are inconsistent with democratic norms3 ,now1 therefore1 be it ,that the ,senate-- 7#a7 reiterates the commitment of the ,united ,states to democracy and democratic governance in ,senegal and the conduct of free1 fair1 inclusive1 and peaceful elections1 and calls on-- 7,a7 the ,secretary of ,state to make clear that those who perpetrate or incite violence or otherwise undermine the democratic process and the #bjbd elections in ,senegal will face consequences1 including visa restrictions and other accountability measures2 and 7,b7 the ,administrator of the ,united ,states ,agency for ,international ,development to continue to support domestic election observation1 electoral dispute resolution mechanisms1 participation of women and youth in the electoral process1 respect for freedom of assembly1 expression1 and association1 government transparency1 conflict resolution1 and civil society organizations focused on good governance1 anti-corruption1 and accountability for government institutions2 7#b7 applauds the work of ,senegalese civil society organizations dedicated to electoral reform1 voter education1 election observation1 accountability for security force abuses1 and respect for freedom of assembly1 expression1 and association2 7#c7 encourages all people of ,senegal to exercise their right to vote and to refrain from acts of violence1 voter malfeasance1 inflammatory speech and disinformation1 or any other actions that violate democratic norms or otherwise undermine the electoral process in ,senegal2 7#d7 calls on the ,government of ,senegal to-- 7,a7 release all those arbitrarily arrested or detained for exercising their right to freedom of assembly or freedom of expression2 7,b7 respect the non-partisan nature of the ,autonomous ,national ,electoral ,commission 7,,cena7 and its efforts to ensure a transparent and accessible electoral process2 7,c7 lift restrictions on the right to peaceful protest and commit to respect the freedom of expression1 including for the press1 and freedom of assembly2 7,d7 ensure that ,senegalese citizens can vote freely and safely in elections without fear of intimidation or use of excessive force by government security forces2 and 7,e7 refrain from using restrictions on access to the internet or social media as a method for disrupting citizens' ability to assemble1 exercise their freedom of expression1 communicate freely1 or obtain information2 and 7#e7 urges political parties and political leaders in ,senegal to-- 7,a7 publicly commit to abide by electoral norms and reject violence2 7,b7 refrain from any statements1 inflammatory rhetoric1 or actions that incite violence or otherwise undermine the electoral process2 and 7,c7 commit to channel any and all electoral related disputes through appropriate legal channels4