- Written by West Africa Correspondent, Mayeni Jones and James Gregory
- bbc news
Violence has spread in Senegal after the president announced the postponement of elections scheduled for later this month.
Senegal's decision to postpone this month's elections is unconstitutional, the country's highest court has ruled.
The Constitutional Council nullified both President Macky Sall's decree and a controversial bill passed by parliament that postponed the vote to December.
Widespread protests have gripped the West African country, once considered a bastion of democracy in the region.
Opposition officials said this amounted to a “constitutional coup.”
Sall had announced that the election would be postponed due to concerns over the suitability of opposition candidates.
After a heated debate that included police removing some opposition members from the chamber, his proposal was supported by 105 out of 165 members. A six-month delay was originally proposed, but a last-minute amendment extended it to 10 months, with the new election date set for December 15.
Sall reiterated that he has no intention of running again. But his critics accused him of trying to cling to power or try to unduly influence his successor.
Opposition candidates and lawmakers who have filed numerous legal challenges to the bill will feel vindicated by Thursday night's court ruling.
Khalifa Sall, a prominent opposition figure and former mayor of the capital Dakar who is unrelated to the president, called the postponement an “unconstitutional coup,” while another unrelated candidate, Tierno Alassane Sall, called it “a great treason.” It was called “sin.” ”.
The court said it was “impossible” to hold elections on February 25, the originally scheduled date, just 10 days away, but urged authorities to hold them “as soon as possible.”
Mr. Sall has not yet reacted to the verdict. His second term expires on April 2nd.
The election could be held by April, but the controversies that led to the postponement in the first place, such as corruption allegations at the Constitutional Court and opposition from opposition candidates who were left out of the list of candidates published last month, remain intact. Remains resolved.
Holding an election using a disputed list of candidates could lead to renewed unrest and violence by those banned from campaigning, especially supporters of Ousmane Sonko, who is hugely popular among Senegal's youth. may cause.
Most candidates have not campaigned since President Sall issued his Feb. 3 executive order hours before campaigning began.
The decision came on the same day that several opposition politicians and civil society members were released from prison, and was seen by some in the country as a move to appease public opinion.
Senegal has long been considered one of the most stable democracies in the region. It is the only country in mainland West Africa that has never experienced a military coup. There have been three mostly peaceful transfers of power, and presidential elections had never been postponed until earlier this month.
President Sall was accused by critics of trying to cling to power.
