Senegal: Gov’t to proceed with election following Council’s rejection of president’s postponement

By Charity Nginyu

President Macky Sall has announced his intention to comply with the Constitutional Council’s decision. In a statement released by his office, Sall affirmed his commitment to holding the presidential election as soon as possible.

Senegal’s Constitutional Council on Thursday, February 15, nullified President Macky Sall’s decision to postpone the presidential election, citing it as unconstitutional.

The council’s ruling overturned a law passed by the National Assembly, which the council deemed contradictory to the constitution.

This decision came amid ongoing protests from supporters of the Aar Sunu Senegal opposition collective, who have been advocating for the election to proceed as originally scheduled for February 25.

Despite Sall’s pledge to abide by the council’s ruling, tensions persist in Dakar, where supporters of the opposition collective continue to demonstrate against the government’s handling of the election.

Sall, whose second term is set to conclude in April and has stated that he will not seek a third term, announced earlier this month his decision to postpone the election. He secured approval from parliament to reschedule the vote to December.

Sall’s effort to postpone the vote sparked protests nationwide, resulting in clashes between police and demonstrators that led to the deaths of at least three individuals.