In Senegal, the Constitutional Council declared the law which postpones the presidential election until December 15, 2024 contrary to the Constitution and annuls the decree of President Macky Sall which canceled the February 25 election.
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With our correspondent in Dakar, Léa-Lisa Westerhoff
It is a historic decision as the postponement of the presidential election is at the origin of a major and unprecedented political crisis in Senegal. This Thursday, the Constitutional Council ruled and judged the law which postpones the presidential election to December 15 to be unconstitutional. In the same decision, he overturned the president’s decree Macky Sall which canceled the convocation of the electoral body for February 25.
For what ? The Council of Wise Men bases its decision on a principle of legal certainty, article 103 which indicates that no one can reform the number and duration of the president’s mandate. According to him, the postponement of the presidential election violates this intangible article of the Constitution which locks in the number and duration of the president’s mandate.
Clearly, by postponing the presidential election until December 15, the president would remain in power beyond his mandate which ends on April 2. An impossible fact, according to the Constitutional Council, due to this lock.
When will the Senegalese elect their future president? Concerning the date, the Council nevertheless affirms that it will no longer be possible to organize a vote on February 25. He therefore invites the competent authorities to organize this election in “ soon as possible “.
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