Senegal election: President Macky Sall vows poll ‘as soon as possible’
Senegal’s president has stated that the postponed election to select his successor will take place “at the earliest opportunity” following the top court’s ruling that his attempt to postpone it was unconstitutional.
President Macky Sall has completed two terms in office.
The Constitutional Council invalidated President Sall’s decision to reschedule the vote for December and nullified the controversial parliamentary bill supporting his decree.
This decision helps restore Senegal’s image as a democracy stronghold in West Africa.
Since announcing his intention to delay the elections two weeks ago, just before campaigns were set to begin, President Sall has faced significant pressure to reverse course.
In response to this pressure, the presidency announced that Mr. Sall will abide by the court’s decision and engage in discussions with relevant stakeholders promptly to hold the elections as soon as possible.
The original election date of February 25 is no longer feasible due to time constraints.
Although a new election date has not been announced, the Constitutional Council ruled that the president cannot extend his term beyond April 2.
Ecowas, France, and the European Union, along with Senegal’s judiciary, have all urged Mr. Sall to adhere to the court’s ruling.
A prominent opposition figure celebrated Thursday’s court decision as “a significant day for democracy,” praising Senegal’s judiciary for its independence.
“We’ve been so ashamed by all this violation of the law and the constitution,” former Prime Minister Aminata Touré told the BBC’s Newsday programme.
Anta Babacar, the only female candidate, agreed.
“We are actually very, very proud of our Constitutional Council and it shows that there is at least a little bit of democracy and justice that’s left in our country,” she said.
There had been strong opposition to Mr Sall’s decision to postpone the elections until mid-December.
Protesters have taken to the streets and opposition politicians have lodged legal complaints against him.
Religious authorities and regional bodies had also called for elections to be held as soon as possible.
However, the disputes that led to the polls being postponed in the first place remain unresolved, including allegations of corruption in the Constitutional Council and objections from opposition figures who had been excluded from the candidate list published last month.
Holding the election using the disputed candidate list could spark renewed unrest and violence by supporters of those barred from contesting, in particular Ousmane Sonko, who has a large and vocal following among young Senegalese. He is currently in jail after being convicted of various offences after prosecutions, which he says are politically motivated.
Most candidates have not been campaigning since President Sall issued his decree earlier this month.
Senegal is considered one of West Africa’s more stable democracies and is the only country in the region never to have suffered a military coup.
