Senegal President, Sall Postpones February 25 Presidential Election Till Further Notice
(FILES) Senegal's President Macky Sall speaks during a joint press conference with German Chancellor on January 27, 2020 at the Chancellery in Berlin. Senegal's President Macky Sall said Monday that he would not seek re-election for a third term, ending months of uncertainty over whether he would seek to remain power in the West African nation. (Photo by Tobias SCHWARZ / AFP)
Just hours before the official presidential election campaign was due to start, the President of Senegal, Macky Sall announced an indefinite postponement.
According to the AFP report, President Macky Sall on Saturday
address the nation, saying, he signed a decree abolishing a previous measure that set the date as lawmakers investigate two Constitutional Council judges whose integrity in the election process has been questioned.
“I will begin an open national dialogue to bring together the conditions for a free, transparent, and inclusive election,” Sall added without giving a new date to replace the initial scheduled February 25.
A November 2023 decree signed by Sall fixed the election for February 25, with 20 candidates in the running but without two major opposition figures.
Sall had repeatedly said he would hand over power in early April to the winner of the vote.
After announcing he would not run for a third term as president, Sall designated Prime Minister Amadou Ba from his party as his would-be successor.
The Constitutional Council has excluded dozens of candidates from the vote, including firebrand anti-system figurehead Ousmane Sonko and Karim Wade, son of former president Abdoulaye Wade
This is, however, a first-time postponement for the Senegalese presidential election.
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