Senegal has officially announced that the postponed presidential election will take place on March 24, following a constitutional ruling against a proposal to conduct the vote after April 2, when President Macky Sall’s mandate expires.
Initially slated for February 25, President Sall postponed the election citing electoral disputes, leading to opposition accusations of an attempted coup. His subsequent proposal to hold the election in December sparked violent protests, challenging Senegal’s reputation as West Africa’s most stable democracy.
A proposal from a national dialogue commission suggesting a June 2 election date was rejected by the Constitutional court. Simultaneously, on Wednesday, President Sall dissolved the government and appointed a new Prime Minister, Amadou Ba, who is also the ruling coalition’s presidential candidate.
A parliamentary amnesty law passed on Wednesday raises the possibility of releasing opposition leaders and supporters detained on charges of unlawful assembly. However, the election’s timing diminishes the chances of jailed opposition leader Ousmane Sonko appearing on the ballot.
