Politics

Indefinite postponement of presidential elections sparks protests in Senegal

Dakar, Feb 4 (EFE) – Hundreds of demonstrators took to the streets of Senegal’s capital, Dakar, on Sunday to protest the indefinite postponement of the presidential elections announced by President Macky Sall the day before.

Security forces clashed with demonstrators and fired tear gas in various concentrations throughout the city, where protesters burned tires and threw rocks.

Presidential candidate Anta Babacar of Alternative for the Next Generation of Citizens party was arrested while participating in the demonstrations, sources from her team confirmed to EFE.

In statements to EFE on Sunday morning, Babacar warned that Sall’s decision “endangers the foundations of our democracy and risks destabilizing not only our country but the entire West African region.”

Likewise, sources from the campaign of candidate Serigne Mboup told EFE that four people from his entourage – a driver, a photographer, and two members of his private security – were also arrested.

Former Prime Minister Aminata Touré, whose presidential candidacy did not pass the selection process, also denounced her arrest on social media.

The protests followed a call by Birame Souleye Diop, president of the parliamentary group of Senegal’s main opposition coalition, Yewwi Askan Wi (Free the People), during a press conference.

“We call on all members of parliament and all those who know that this is a constitutional coup to rise,” Diop said.

“We will also take legal action to continue this struggle,” he added, stressing that “the fate of Senegal is at stake.”

Sall’s announcement during a press conference on Saturday followed a controversy over the official list of candidates just hours before campaigning for the Feb. 25 elections started on Sunday.

The president, who had already confirmed in July that he would not seek a third term, assured that he would “launch an open national dialogue to create the conditions for free, transparent, and inclusive elections.”

According to Sall, his decision was motivated by a case of alleged judicial corruption.

The president also attributed his decision to “the controversy surrounding a candidate whose dual nationality (French and Senegalese) was discovered once the final list was published.”

This “constitutes a violation of Article 28 of the Constitution, which stipulates that any candidate for the presidency must be of Senegalese nationality only,” Sall said.

The head of state issued this message just one day after the Senegalese Democratic Party (PDS), led by opposition candidate Karim Wade, presented a “bill” calling for the delay of the elections, citing “serious, intolerable flaws” in the electoral process.

Karim Wade, son of former president Abdoulaye Wade (2000-2012), was excluded from the final list, which included only 20 of the 93 submitted candidacies.

Wade was excluded because of his dual nationality, which he renounced on January.

Also excluded was the country’s main opposition leader, Ousmane Sonko, who has been under arrest since July on charges of insurrection and attacking the security of the state.

He is also involved in a legal battle to participate in the elections.

The aforementioned bill, which will be debated on Monday in the National Assembly, proposes to amend Article 31 of the Senegalese Constitution to extend the current legislature for six months and hold the vote on Aug. 25. EFE en/mcd

Related Articles

Back to top button