Senegal’s top election body has reversed President Macky Sall’s order to postpone the vote, so the country will hold a presidential election as soon as feasible, the administration announced on Friday.
Sall attempted to postpone the election scheduled for February 25th in the early going, claiming ongoing disagreements about the nominees. The National Assembly decided to reschedule the poll for December 15.
The nation’s Constitutional Council, however, declared on Thursday that those actions were unlawful and directed the government to schedule the election as soon as feasible, presumably to give candidates ample time to prepare. The panel agreed that it would not be possible to hold the meeting on February 25 but recommended that the administration move swiftly.
According to the government, on Friday, Senegal’s top election body reversed President Macky Sall’s order to postpone the vote, meaning that a presidential election would take place as soon as feasible.
With unresolved conflicts over who might run, Sall attempted to postpone the election scheduled for February 25 to December 15 in early February. The National Assembly voted in favor of the new date.
But on Thursday, the nation’s Constitutional Council declared such actions to be unlawful and mandated that the government schedule the election for as soon as feasible, presumably to give candidates ample time to prepare. The group stated that the government should move swiftly even though it recognized that February 25 would not be possible at this time.
The U.S. Bureau of African Affairs applauded the council’s decision “to put Senegal back on track for a timely presidential election” in a post on X, the previous Twitter platform, on Friday.
Speaking through a spokesman, Stephane Dujarric, the U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres commended both the president’s and the Constitutional Council’s decisions, and he urged all Senegalese parties “to ensure the holding of an inclusive and transparent presidential election within the framework of Senegal’s constitution.”
Additionally on Friday In a statement released on Friday, the West African region grouping, ECOWAS, said that Sall need to adhere to the election schedule and asked the “competent authorities” to determine a date for the presidential election that would be in line with the council’s ruling.
When a date would be announced and whether the list of eligible candidates will alter are unknown.
On April 2, Sall, who took office in 2012, will have served out his two mandates. The constitution stipulates that elections must be held 30 to 45 days before to the expiration of his mandate.
This week, the administration has freed several hundred political detainees in an attempt to appease the populace.
As per Dr. Manel Fall, a member of the dissolved PASTEF opposition party, the opposition has stated that the situation may be defused by freeing all the inmates and initiating discussions between the opposition and the president over the setting of an early date for elections.
