Senegal’s President, Macky Sall, announced the indefinite postponement of the presidential election scheduled for February 25, just hours before the official start of campaigning.
Sall revealed that the decision was made to address concerns about the integrity of two Constitutional Council judges involved in the election process.
In a national address, Sall stated that he had signed a decree abolishing the previously set election date and would initiate an open national dialogue to ensure conditions for a free, transparent, and inclusive election.
However, he did not provide a new date for the postponed election.
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This marks the first time a Senegalese presidential election has been deferred.
The move follows a dispute between the National Assembly and the Constitutional Court regarding the rejection of candidates.
The original election date was set for February 25, with 20 candidates in the running, excluding two significant opposition figures.
Sall, who had declared he would not seek a third term, designated Prime Minister Amadou Ba from his party as his potential successor.
The Constitutional Council’s exclusion of numerous candidates, including Ousmane Sonko and Karim Wade, sparked controversy.
Wade’s supporters in the National Assembly called for an inquiry into the partiality of two judges on the Constitutional Court, which was passed on January 31, with some members of Sall’s party supporting the motion.
Wade was disqualified due to alleged French citizenship, a decision he deemed “scandalous.”
Additionally, Rose Wardini, one of the two approved female candidates, was detained on charges of allegedly concealing her French citizenship on Friday.
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