The Senegalese police in the capital, Dakar, used tear gas and batons to disperse the protests that erupted yesterday, Sunday, after President Macky Sall‘s decision on Saturday to postpone the presidential elections.
The opposition in Senegal harshly criticized Sall’s decision, which he justified by “differences between the National Assembly (Parliament) and the Constitutional Council,” and called for demonstrations in Dakar yesterday. Hundreds of citizens responded to the call.
The opposition coalition, which includes several candidates, demanded to continue their campaign and not to postpone the presidential elections, which were scheduled for February 25th.
The opposition movements coincided with a session in parliament dedicated to discussing a bill introduced by the ruling coalition that allows the president to extend his term by a full year, a move opposed by the opposition.
The bill suggested holding the elections on August 25th and keeping Sall in the presidency until his successor is inaugurated.
Several opposition candidates announced yesterday that they would ignore the president’s decision and continue their election campaign.
Senegal has never postponed presidential elections before, and the state of uncertainty threatens to provoke further unrest, similar to the deadly protests in recent years.
Security forces in several areas of the capital confronted the Sunday protests by firing tear gas, and the opposition politician and former prime minister Aminata Touré, along with other presidential candidates, were arrested.
Men and women of all ages closed traffic in several points along a main road in the capital by burning tires, following the call of several candidates.
In one area, about 200 protesters withdrew to side streets after riot police fired tear gas at them and began arresting them.
Some of the protests in Dakar saw the demonstrators burning French flags.
The announcement of the Senegalese president postponing the presidential elections also raised international concerns. The European Union emphasized on Sunday that the postponement leads to “a period of uncertainty” in the country, calling for the elections to be held “as soon as possible.”
The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) also expressed concern about the circumstances that led to the election postponement and called for setting a new date for the elections as soon as possible.
The French Foreign Ministry urged the authorities yesterday to “remove the ambiguity surrounding the election timetable so that it can be held as soon as possible and in line with Senegal’s democratic principles.”
