Senegal’s Constitutional Council Rejects Postponement of Presidential Poll.

By Caroline Ameh

Senegal’s Constitutional Council has overturned a contentious law passed by parliament to postpone the country’s presidential election slated for 25 February. The decision, announced late Thursday, also nullified a presidential decree related to the deferred vote.

The Council ruled the decree and the law unconstitutional, citing the expulsion of opposition MPs from parliamentary chambers during the passage of the legislation.

Following this decision, discussions are underway to determine a new date for the presidential election while adhering to constitutional provisions requiring President Macky Sall to relinquish power by 2 April after completing two terms.

The postponement of the election had sparked street protests, resulting in at least three fatalities. There has been no immediate response from parliament or the presidency to the Constitutional Council’s ruling.

In a separate move aimed at easing tensions, the government recently announced the release of some political detainees, including relatives of opposition leader Ousmane Sonko, who was jailed on charges of inciting insurrection.

This gesture of appeasement by President Sall’s administration may also extend to the possible release of Sonko and his nominated presidential candidate, Bassirou Diomaye Faye, currently detained and facing various charges.

Meanwhile, the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) has initiated diplomatic efforts to mitigate the political unrest in Senegal, traditionally regarded as a stable nation in a volatile region.

Nigeria’s President Bola Tinubu, the current Chairman of the ECOWAS Authority, had planned a visit to Senegal but subsequently cancelled it. Although no official reason was provided for the cancellation, diplomatic sources suggest that the Senegalese government considers the crisis an internal matter.

Efforts to address Senegal’s political turmoil faced obstacles during an extraordinary meeting of the ECOWAS Mediation and Security Council in Abuja last Thursday, as a Senegalese ministerial delegation prevented discussions on the country’s crisis.

These developments in Senegal come at a challenging time for ECOWAS, with four member states—Guinea, Mali, Burkina Faso, and Niger—under military rule, and the latter three expressing intentions to withdraw from the organization established in 1975 to promote regional integration.