Senegal’s Constitutional Council reverses February vote postponement
TLDR
- Senegal's highest court declares the postponement of the presidential election as unconstitutional, invalidating President Macky Sall's decree and the controversial bill passed by parliament.
- The Constitutional Council considers the rescheduling of the election for December 15th as inconsistent with the constitution, emphasizing the urgency of conducting the election as soon as possible.
- The council reaffirms the fixed five-year presidential term.
Senegal's highest court has ruled that the postponement of the presidential election scheduled for February 25th was unconstitutional. Both President Macky Sall's decree and a controversial bill passed by parliament, which aimed to move the election to December, were invalidated by the Constitutional Council.
The decree signed by President Sall earlier in the month, delaying the election, was nullified by a judgment endorsed by seven members of the council and disclosed to the Associated Press.
The Constitutional Council deemed the National Assembly's decision on February 5th to reschedule the election for December 15th as "inconsistent with the constitution." The judgment emphasized the urgency of conducting the presidential election at the earliest opportunity due to the impossibility of holding it on the originally planned date. Furthermore, the council reaffirmed the fixed five-year presidential term.
Key Takeaways
The West African country is currently experiencing widespread protests, marking a significant departure from its previous reputation as a bastion of stability in the region. Senegal has historically been regarded as one of the most stable democracies in West Africa, notably being the sole mainland country in the region to have never experienced a military coup. Before this month, it had undergone three largely peaceful transitions of power and had never previously postponed a presidential election. In response to recent events, opposition and civil society organizations have renewed their calls for demonstrations. A peaceful march, organized by a collective of civil society groups, is scheduled for Saturday.
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