Senegal Election: President Macky Vows Poll

Senegalese President Macky Sall, arrives for the 36th Ordinary Session of the Assembly of the African Union at the African Union Headquarters in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia February 19, 2023

President Sall was accused by critics of trying to cling to power
Senegal’s president says the delayed election to choose his successor will be held “as soon as possible”, after the top court ruled that his attempts to delay them were unconstitutional.

President Macky Sall has served two terms in office.

On Thursday, the Constitutional Council annulled President Sall’s decree moving the vote to December.

It also voided the contentious bill passed by parliament which had backed the decree.

The move will go some way to restore Senegal’s reputation as a bastion of democracy in West Africa.

Ever since he announced he wanted to delay the elections two weeks ago, President Sall has been under immense pressure to reverse his decision.

Now that pressure appears to have yielded results, with a statement from the presidency saying Mr Sall will comply with the court ruling – and will also hold talks with all relevant stakeholders without delay, in order to hold elections as soon as possible.

A new date for the elections has not yet been given, but in its ruling the Constitutional Council said the president couldn’t stay in power beyond the end of his term on 2 April.

Following the ruling, the West African body, Ecowas, France and the European Union all urged Mr Sall to comply with the decision.

Senegal’s judiciary has also been praised exerting its independence, with a leading opposition figure hailing Thursday’s court ruling as “a great day for democracy”.

“We’ve been so ashamed by all this violation of the law and the constitution,” Aminata Touré, a former prime minister and now opposition figure, told the BBC’s Newsday programme.

Anta Babacar, the only female candidate, agreed.

“We are actually very, very proud of our Constitutional Council and it shows that there is at least a little bit of democracy and justice that’s left in our country,” she said.

There had been strong opposition to Mr Sall’s decision to postpone the elections until mid-December.

Protesters have taken to the streets and opposition politicians have lodged legal complaints against him.

Religious authorities and regional bodies had also called for elections to be held as soon as possible.

Senegal is considered one of West Africa’s more stable democracies and is the only country in the region never to have suffered a military coup.

BBC/Jide Johnson.