The calm after the storm ? After the decision of the Senegalese Constitutional Council to invalidate the postponement of the presidential election until December 15, the president of the African Union (AU) Commission, Moussa Faki Mahamat, welcomed, this Saturday, February 17, “the position of the Senegalese government to take [cette décision] in high regard.”
President Macky Sall in fact pledged the day before to organize this election – originally scheduled for February 25 – “as soon as possible”. Since then, the head of state has started to meet or approach certain candidates.
An initiative welcomed by Moussa Faki Mahamat who, on the occasion of the opening of the AU summit, wished “full success to the consultations initiated by the government to decide in a consensual spirit the best path for the organization of free and transparent inclusive elections.
The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), the European Union, France and the United Kingdom had called on the authorities to comply with the Council’s decision. The United States, for its part, urged all stakeholders to agree to “support a free and fair election, conducted peacefully and in a timely manner,” according to a statement from the State Department.
As a reminder, Macky Sall had, three weeks before the election, announced the postponement of the presidential election, citing quarrels caused by the pre-electoral process and his fear that a contested election would provoke new outbreaks of violence.
A vote before April 2?
But since the veto of the Constitutional Council, the time has come for appeasement after two weeks of crisis. This is evidenced by the release, Thursday, February 15, of several opponents. Concerned in particular are the coordinator of the citizen movement “Y’en a marre”, Aliou Sané, the mayor of a commune in Dakar, Djamil Sané, as well as several members of the opposition figure’s ex-Pastef opposition party. , Ousmane Sonko.
Furthermore, a demonstration was authorized in Dakar this Saturday, in which thousands of opponents were able to participate. A first for two weeks, the previous ones having been banned by the authorities. This situation gave rise to violence and numerous arrests. Three people were killed on February 9.
However, if the Wise Men canceled the postponement of the presidential election, uncertainties remain as to the new date of the election. “When the Constitutional Council speaks of ‘best deadlines’, it suggests that there must be a transfer of power before April 2, because there is no question that the President of the Republic will extend the duration of his mandate, as “indicates article 103 of the Constitution”, specifies Sidy Alpha Ndiaye, associate professor of law at the Cheikh-Anta-Diop University of Dakar, in the columns of World.
In its decision, the Constitutional Council recalls that the mandate of the President of the Republic ends at the beginning of April and that it cannot be extended. However, it seems impossible to meet these deadlines, according to the secretary general of the government, Seydou Gueye, interviewed by France Infowhich calls for dialogue in order to find a consensual date.