DAKAR: Senegal’s Constitutional Council announced on Thursday its agreement to proceed with the delayed presidential election, setting the new date for March 24 as proposed by outgoing President Macky Sall.
The decision comes after the council initially scheduled the election for March 31, while President Sall advocated for an earlier date, a week before the initially proposed day of February 25.
In a statement issued on Thursday, the Constitutional Council acknowledged the need to address the administrative delays and ensure compliance with the constitutional requirement to hold the election before the end of President Sall’s mandate on April 2. The council suggested that the executive branch issue decrees convening the electoral body on March 24 to compensate for the earlier administrative inertia.
Senegal Presidential Election
The council’s decision is expected to help alleviate the political crisis sparked by President Sall’s postponement of the presidential poll. Sall had cited concerns over disputes regarding the disqualification of potential candidates and apprehensions of a recurrence of the unrest witnessed in 2021 and 2023.
The delay had prompted widespread domestic and international criticism and led to protests that resulted in the loss of four lives. However, Senegal, known for its stability in the West African region, is now poised to resume the electoral process, which is anticipated to be one of the most open and consequential in the nation’s modern history.
