DAKAR, Senegal — Senegalese President Macky Sall on Friday backed down from plans to delay the presidential election by nearly a year, with his office saying in a statement that a vote in this West African nation would be held “as soon as possible.”
The announcement followed a ruling by Senegal’s constitutional court on Thursday that Sall’s plans to postpone the election “lacked a legal basis.” The president intends to “fully implement” the constitutional court’s ruling, according to the statement by his spokesman Yoro Dia. He did not specify a new date for the election, which had originally been scheduled for Feb. 25.
Sall, in a nationwide address earlier this month, had indefinitely delayed the election, fueling outrage both within Senegal and internationally about democratic backsliding in a country with one of the strongest histories of democracy in West Africa. Then legislators in parliament last week set a new date for Dec. 15. The constitutional court recognized in its decision Thursday that it would no longer be possible for elections to be held Feb. 25 but urged authorities to organize a vote “as soon as possible.”
Dia said the president “will carry out without delay the consultations necessary for the organization of the presidential election as soon as possible.”
Sall’s initial decision to put off the election had thrown Senegal into a period of uncertainty, with protests breaking out in cities across the country, and prompted international appeals for the vote to proceed without delay. Three people were killed by security forces during protests in recent weeks, including a 16-year-old boy, and hundreds arrested, according to Amnesty International.
Sall, who has served for two terms, had said the delay was necessary because of a dispute over which candidates were eligible to run. Dia last week defended the decision, saying that disagreements between the court and the legislative branch would have called into question the legitimacy of Senegal’s next president.
But critics said Sall’s decision appeared to violate the constitution and reflected a desire to hold onto power as well as concerns about who might succeed him. Sall had vowed not to run for a third term and has said that he is supporting Prime Minister Amadou Ba to replace him.
A number of the top contenders to succeed Sall — most notably, popular opposition figure Ousmane Sonko — have been barred by the courts from running. Sonko has faced multiple charges that critics say are politically motivated. In June, protests by Sonko’s supporters led to clashes with security forces, leaving more than a dozen people dead.
Sonko remains in detention, as does Bassirou Diomaye Faye, the candidate selected by Sonko to run in his stead.