Senegal parliament puts off presidential polls to Dec 15
DAKAR — Senegal’s parliament adopted a bill on Monday postponing the presidential election until Dec 15.
Deputies from the ruling Benno Bokk Yaakaar coalition and the main opposition Senegalese Democratic Party, or PDS, voted on the bill, which enjoyed majority backing.
The bill was proposed by PDS deputies following the rejection of the dual nationality of their candidate Karim Wade by the Constitutional Council. In addition to the bill, PDS deputies accused two members of the Constitutional Council of corruption and conflict of interest, pushing the national assembly to set up a parliamentary commission of inquiry.
Senegalese President Macky Sall announced on Saturday the postponement of the presidential election originally scheduled for Feb 25 in a message broadcast to the nation, just a few hours before the start of the electoral campaign, but he did not give a specific date.
Twenty candidates have now been cleared by the Constitutional Council to compete in the polls. Sall has decided not to run for the third term.
Riot police fired tear gas to disperse protests outside parliament as lawmakers discussed the bill.
The postponement faced pushback on Monday. At least three of the 20 presidential candidates submitted legal challenges to the delay, Constitutional Council documents showed. Two more candidates have vowed to challenge it via the courts.
The Ministry of Communication, Telecommunications and Digital Economy said mobile internet services were cut on Monday “due to the dissemination of several hateful and subversive messages relayed on social networks in the context of threats and disturbances to public order”. Several schools sent students home early.
The African Union urged the government to organize the election “as soon as possible” and called on everyone involved “to resolve any political dispute through consultation, understanding and civilized dialogue”.
Rating agency Moody’s warned that any lengthy delay in the election could hamper the country’s planned fiscal consolidation by making it harder to implement policies, including a promised phasing out of energy subsidies by 2025.