NewsOnline Nigeria reports that the Senegalese parliament is set to debate a bill that will extend the date for the next presidential election after President Macky Sall announced a postponement of the general election that was initially scheduled to be held on February 25, 2024.
This Nigeria news platform understands that Sall announced on Saturday that the Feb. 25 election is postponed to an unspecified date, attributing the delay to a dispute over the candidate list and alleged corruption within the constitutional body overseeing the list.
Meanwhile, the move has been criticized by certain opposition and civil society factions, branding it as an “institutional coup.”
Some political parties who were against the extension staged a protest rally on Sunday.
However, the Senegalese police fired tear gas on the gathering closed down a main thoroughfare.
While the discussion is ongoing, the parliament is ready to set a new date, August 25, for the general election.
The new bill before the lawmakers will further extend the presidency of Sall who has already spent a decade as the president of Senegal.
Reacting to the new development, one of the main opposition party leaders, Anta Babacar Ngom, was temporarily detained by the security agencies after a protest against the extension.
Taking to her X (formerly Twitter) account, she wrote that the country is facing an ordeal in its battle for democracy and justice.
In addition, former Prime Minister of Senegal Aminata Touré in a separate post on X said she was escorted to the military police station moments after stepping out of her car.
ECOWAS Response to the Postponement
Meanwhile, the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) issued a statement on Saturday following the announcement to postpone the election by President Sall.
The Communique lauded that president for shelving his initial plan to run for a third term, but also expressed concerns over the decision to postpone the election.
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