3 February 2024Updated 4 hours agoImage caption, Senegal has long been seen as one of West Africa’s most stable democraciesSenegal’s President Macky Sall has delayed this month’s elections due to complaints following the exclusion of numerous candidates. The president, currently in his second term and not seeking re-election, has not announced a new date. The country’s constitutional council had barred several potential candidates, including well-known politicians, from running. Mr. Sall stated that “the challenging conditions could seriously harm” the election. He also mentioned plans to initiate “an open national dialogue… to establish the conditions for a free, transparent, and inclusive election in a peaceful and reconciled Senegal”. An opposition candidate labeled the president’s decision to postpone the election as a constitutional coup. Khalifa Sall, the former mayor of Dakar, urged people to protest the decision, and his political coalition has vowed to take legal action. A group of influential Islamic leaders cautioned against delaying the vote, stating that it could destabilize the nation. The decision to postpone the election is unprecedented in a country that is considered one of the most stable democracies in West Africa. Twenty candidates had been included in the final list, but one of the most prominent exclusions from the original February 25th vote was opposition politician Ousmane Sonko. Sonko, a popular figure with a history of legal disputes, claimed to have been targeted to prevent him from running for president. Karim Wade, the son of a former president, was also barred from participating due to allegations of holding French citizenship in addition to Senegalese citizenship. He denounced the accusation as “outrageous,” according to the AFP news agency. Mr. Wade’s supporters in parliament raised concerns about the impartiality of two of the judges on the panel responsible for determining the final list of candidates. Some politicians argued that the candidacy rules were not applied fairly, an allegation that authorities have refuted.
