In a seeming climbdown from his earlier decision, Senegal’s President Macky Sall on Friday pledged to organise presidential elections “as soon as possible.” According to an Africa News report the news came after the Constitutional Council overruled his decision to delay this month’s vote.
“The President of the Republic intends to fully implement the decision of the Constitutional Council,” the presidency said in a statement. “To this end, the Head of State will without delay carry out the consultations necessary to organise the presidential election as soon as possible.”
Sall has earlier sought to defer the elections scheduled for February 25 citing disputes. The National Assembly deferred elections to December 15. The country’s Constitutional Council had, however, ruled this decision “unconstitutional” and ordered the government to hold the election as soon as possible. It allowed the February 25 date to lapse, stating that candidates would need time to campaign.
Sall who has already completed his maximum two terms, has been accused of trying to delay leaving office something which he had strongly denied in an interview to AP earlier this week.
International reaction has been positive. In a post on X, on Friday, the U.S. Bureau of African Affairs had commended the council’s decision “to put Senegal back on track for a timely presidential election.”
Senegal has been gripped by violent protests since the announcement to delay elections with power and internet cuts and three people being killed.
According to Africa News, the government has released several hundred political prisoners this week in a bid to calm tensions but no new electoral date has been announced by them so far.
